#such a small detail in the lab but I still think about it almost 2 years later | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

softsnzstuff · 1 year

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Fever Pitch

Fandom: Stranger Things; Doctors Office AU

Word Count: 10k

Summary: Doctor!Eddie gets super sick, but refuses to admit that doctors can get sick too. Eddie spends half the week grumpy and annoyed until he finally breaks in the most whumpy way.

CW: Flashback mentions of domestic abuse // gunshot wounds, minor mess

Monday, April 3rd

“Hey! Earth to Eddie??”

Eddie blinks himself back to reality and realizes he’s been staring at his mug of black coffee for a few minutes.

“Sorry what?”

Steve shakes his head and laughs, “I asked if you’re almost ready to go? It’s 6:58.”

“Yeah!” Eddie grabs his travel mug from the cabinet and empties the contents of his coffee mug into it, dropping the mug in the sink, “Good to go. Sorry, just a little spacey this morning I guess…”

Steve grabs the car keys off the hook and opens the front door, still chuckling, “I can see that.”

---

Usually the drive to work is filled with banter, but today Eddie is tired in a way he almost can’t explain. His ears feel weird too and he can’t quite place it.

Steve parks the car in their usual spot and they both get out. The bell chimes above them as they enter through the back door.

“Good mooooorning!” Comes a voice down the hall. Robin.

“Morning Robin!” They call out in unison.

Eddie heads to his office, slumping into his chair and turning the computer on, while Steve makes his way towards his station where Nancy is waiting and Robin is hanging out.

The dirty blonde is sitting on Steve’s desk, kicking her feet talking to Nancy. Steve approaches his childhood best friend and jokingly waves the air at her. “Shoo! Off my desk.”

She playfully sticks her tongue out at him and hops off. “I just opened the front. First patient isn’t until 7:45 I think?”

Steve nods in acknowledgement as he logs onto his own computer, eyes not breaking from the screen.

“That’ll be good. Give Eddie a minute. He’s being kinda weird and quiet today.”

Nancy and Robin exchange a brief look of worry.

“You talking about me in here?” Eddie wanders in.

“Just shit talking you behind your back, obviously.” Robin teases.

Eddie breaks character and laughs, playfully punching her arm. “Well don’t let me interrupt. Needed a new pen. My favorite one just ran out of ink.”

Steve opens his backpack and pulls out a fresh pen, holding it over his head for Eddie to take. The older man grabs it, slightly disappointed that it’s ballpoint and not gel. Trivial, sure, but a small detail that makes his morning that much more irritating.

He disappears back towards his office as Robin speaks up.

“Well I guess I should get to work too. I’m sure our first patient will be here soon.”

She heads up to the front of the office and sits at her desk previewing the schedule for the day. All things considered, it’s actually pretty light for a Monday. Billy is off today and tomorrow, so it’s just Eddie and Nancy.

The front door bell chimes and Robin looks up to lock eyes with Mr.Gilmore (Mickey, please).

“Hey Mr.G! How are you?” She asks in her bubbly voice.

“Oh just fine, sweetheart. Checking in for 7:45. I think my wife is coming in later.”

The man starts to scribble his name on the check in sheet while Robin skims the schedule.

“Would ya look at that! She is coming in at 2:30.” Robin smiled, “You know the drill then, Mickey. Steve will be out to get you in just a second okay?”

He nods and takes his seat in the waiting room. The doorbell rings again as Robin stands up.

“Good Morning Mrs.Harris. Go ahead and get yourself signed in. There’s no copay today. Give me one second and I’ll tell Steve you’re here too.” She grabs both charts, Mickey’s on top since his appointment is first.

“First two for you, Steve-o.” She says, handing off the charts to her friend.

He runs a hand through his hair as he looks over them. “Yeah alright. Let me bring Mickey back and into a room and then I’ll come back for Gina.”

---

“Well your labs look fantastic, Mickey. Great improvement since the last time. If everything’s working for you I think we’ll keep your meds at the same dosage and follow up in a few months?”

“Sounds great, Doctor Munson.” The man reaches out and gives Eddie a handshake before standing up to head out.

“Go ahead and go up to the front. Robin will check you out shortly.”

Eddie could hear muffled talking in the room next door. Nancy was probably in there with Gina.

“Hey Steve can you bring this to Robin?” He holds out Mickey’s chart with his scribbled notes on it.

Steve gives Eddie a once over, but agrees, taking the chart and heading back to the front. Eddie, on the other hand, went back to his office and uncapped his travel mug of coffee, sipping generously. Why wasn’t the caffeine waking him up like it usually did??

As he swallowed, he finally was able to pinpoint the weird feeling in his ears. It was a sticky sort of pain deep inside that sometimes happened when- his throat was sore.

Shit. A sore throat was truly the last thing he needed. Maybe it would get better as the day went on if he tried to talk less?

---

A few hours passed by, and instead of getting better, Eddie only felt worse. The twinge in his throat was more of a dull ache now, and worst of all, his throat was scratchy in a way that made him want to gag.

As soon as he was done with the last patient before lunch, he beelined for the break room to make himself some more coffee.

The Keurig spurted and hissed as it produced a small latte in his travel mug.

“Babe you’re having more coffee? You’re gonna be up all night.” Steve came up behind him and squeezed his shoulder.

“What are you, my mom??” Eddie snipped.

“Geez, I’m just asking. What’s up with you today??” Steve tried to hide the fact that he was a little hurt.

“Nothing’s up with me, Steve. Just getting coffee because I’m tired.” The older man grumbled and walked back towards his office and shut the door behind him.

“What was that all about?” Nancy asked as she and Robin joined too, pulling their lunches out of the fridge.

“Hell if I know. Apparently the man just wants to be fueled with caffeine.” Steve rolled his eyes and sat down with his salad, “So how was your guys’ weekends?”

---

Its 2:15 now. Lunch has been over for a while. He’s seen a few more patients already and his coffee is now gone. He wants more but Steve is right - he’d be lucky if he gets to sleep tonight as is.

There’s a knock on his open door that gets his attention. It’s Robin and the iPad.

“Hey Doc, can you sign this for me?” She asks, holding out the iPad for him to take.

“Have I ever NOT signed it for you??” He asks in a tone way grumpier than he’d expected.

Shit why did he say that.

“No… sorry, I just didn’t want to assume…”

“You’re fine Birdie, I’m sorry. I’m just… in a mood today apparently.”

He signs for the meds and hands it back to her.

Robin shrugs, “It happens. Mrs.Gilmore is here early by the way. Steves probably coming through with her chart soon.”

Eddie sighs as he stands up. If he could just finish the last four patients he could go home.

---

Steve’s humming to himself in the kitchen as he cooks the pasta. Spaghetti with brown butter and tomato basil sauce is a recent favorite of his and he took it upon himself too cook for the two of them tonight

His phone buzzes. A text from Robin.

What’s cookin, good lookin?

He rolled his eyes. Since he started cooking new dishes, she’d been requesting photos of his food. He sent a pic back of the pasta in the pot of water.

Nothing fancy… yet. Spaghetti with tomato basil and brown butter sauce.

🤤Eddie’s the luckiest guy I swear.

Steve looks over his shoulder. After confirming Eddie was still in the shower, he types back.

Eh… he’s still kinda prickly. I think he’s getting sick or something.

Doctors don’t get sick, remember Steve?? 😤

Steve chuckles to himself. By now, everyone at Hawkins Medical is familiar with Eddie Munson and his ‘Doctors Don’t Get Sick’ one man show. He’s about to say something witty back when the bathroom door opens and small amounts of steam billow out.

One sec - he just got out of the shower…

Eddie pads over to the table, rubbing at his eyes with the heel of his hand.

“Just in time!” Steve offers a smile as he drains the pasta. “Spaghetti just finished. Pot of brown butter on the left. Tomato basil on the right. Pick your poison.”

Steve’s already plating his own dinner, when Eddie coughs into his shoulder, following behind with the smallest scoop of pasta and a tiny bit of sauce.

“That’s all you’re gonna eat?” Steve asks after Eddie takes a small bite.

“M’not hungry.” Eddie lies, but Steve doesn’t miss the way he winces when he took a sip of water.

“Are you okay?”

“Fine.” Eddie insists, “I’m not hungry.”

He goes to clear his throat but it catches, making him cough painfully into his fist. Eddie tries to blink back the pain, each cough scraping the back of his throat.

“Does your throat hurt?”

Eddie pushes away from the table, “I said I’m fucking fine Steve.”

“Hey, watch the attitude. I’m just asking!”

“Whatever.” Eddie grumbles, setting his plate by the sink, “I’m going to bed.”

He storms off to the bedroom, door closing behind him. Steve rolls his eyes and reaches for his phone again, sending a text to Robin.

Definitely sick. He just screamed at me for asking if his throat hurt 🙄

Steve threw his phone down after sending the text and finished his pasta by himself.

*****

Tuesday, April 4th

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

The joint alarm for 6:15am pierces through the fog in Eddie’s brain. Apart from the blaring alarm, the first thing he notices is that his throat hurts. BAD. It’s now a scratchy ache that burns when he swallows.

Steve turns the alarm off and groans, rolling out of bed to brush his teeth. Eddie takes the opportunity to lay there a little bit longer, squeezing his eyes shut. His head aches at the front of his forehead and all he wants to do is go back to sleep.

“You want coffee too Eds?” Steve asks on his way from their bathroom to the kitchen.

The older man tries to speak but coughs instead. He clears his throat and groans, “Yes please.”

“Coming right up.” Steve turns around, frowning at the sound of his partner.

While Steve starts their coffees, Eddie drags himself out of bed and heads to the bathroom too. He pees, washes his hands, and then brushes his teeth. He stops for a moment to stare at himself in the mirror. He looks run down for sure, paler than normal and rings forming under his eyes. After rinsing his mouth out, he tames the hair a little and then grabs a few tissues to blow his nose.

He huffs a sigh when it does nothing to relieve the congestion that’s settled in his sinuses.

“For fucks sake…” he grumbles.

He turns off the bathroom light and goes to get dressed. His favorite black jeans and tee shirt will do. They’re just going to be under his doctors coat anyways.

He’s sniffling and scrubbing at his nose as he walks into the kitchen where Steve is sitting at the table, finishing a prepackaged muffin and sipping his coffee.

“Morning babe.” Steve says and kisses Eddie on the cheek, “Shit it’s 6:40 already?? Let me get dressed really quick!”

“Morning.” Eddie hums, dumping his coffee into the travel mug. He takes a small sip, coughing again.

Steve reappears just a few minutes later, hair done and in his scrubs.

“Okay! Ready?”

Eddie nods, “Mm hmm.”

Steve grabs his bag and heads out the door towards the car, Eddie trudging sluggishly behind him.

---

When the boys arrive at the office, they both head back towards the nurses station to greet the girls. Steve drops his backpack at his desk and turns the computer on.

“Hey Robin!” He calls out.

“Morning guys!” Robin bounds around the corner but stops abruptly, “Oof Eddie you don’t look so hot. Are you okay?”

She asks, having forgotten the warning text from Steve late last night.

“You flatter me.” He says, voice dripping with sarcasm. “I’m fine.”

Nancy walks in just as Eddie starts coughing again. She places a gentle hand on his back as she walks past him to her desk.

“Awe poor thing, you sound awful. Are you getting sick?”

Steve and Robin look up at her like deer in headlights, signaling to her immediately that that was the wrong thing to say.

Eddie rolls his eyes, swallowing back his unwarranted anger, “I don’t get sick.”

He turns on his heels and heads to his office, coughing into a closed fist on the way.

“I’m sorry.” Nancy starts, “I forgot…”

Steve waves his hands dismissively, “Don’t be sorry Nance. He’s just grumpy because he doesn’t feel well.”

All three of them exchanged different variations of the same eyebrows-raised glance that screamed ‘not this again’.

“Well I’m going to go let people in now. The Anderson’s were outside at 7:05.” Robin headed up front to unlock the doors.

Her pastel pink scrubs were light and joyful. She usually stuck to the darker colors but today she felt like brightening up the mood a little.

“Good Morning, Anderson’s!!” She greeted as she opened the door, “Enter my humble abode!”

The two of them laughed and stood up from the bench they were waiting on outside. They were in their early 70’s and were some of Robin’s favorites.

“Well you look absolutely vibrant in those scrubs. How are you doing today, Darling?” Mrs.Anderson asked as she signed both of them in on the clipboard.

Robin jogged around the back to meet her at the desk window.

“Thank you! Pretty good! Pretty good! I see you guys are here forrrrr,” she clicked around on the computer, “Back to back wellness checks?”

“That’s correct!” Mrs.Anderson chimes.

“Well good news then! Insurance covers 100% of the wellness exams, so there’s no copay. Let me tell Steve you guys are here.”

She takes both charts and runs them back to Steve, leaning down when she hands them off.

“They’re back to back wellness exams, so hopefully Eddie can just chill with them for the next hour and a half?”

Steve nods. Wellness checks were pretty easy and straight forward to do. Eddie would definitely be grateful he wasn’t having to do any procedures this morning.

The brunette gets up and calls them both back. They walk with him to Exam 2. Robin chuckles as they walk by, Mr.Anderson telling Steve, “Stevie boy, I have to show you this new magic trick I learned from my son in law. You brought my cards right Debbie?”

Mrs.Anderson patted him on the back, “I always bring your cards, Arthur…”

---

“Anderson’s are in 2 whenever you’re ready.” Steve said gently, leaning in Eddie’s doorframe.

The man in question was hunched over his desk blowing his nose again.

“Be there in a seco’d…” he said from behind the tissues.

Steve just nodded.

---

Almost an hour and forty five minutes later, Eddie came out of their exam room, eyes wide with annoyance, the rings under his eyes even more prominent than before. He dropped the charts on Robin’s desk.

“Mrs.Anderson is fine. Mr.Anderson needs a follow up in a month for his blood pressure.” He rasped.

“Sheesh Doc, you sound rougher than earlier.” She opened one of the drawers by her feet and pulled out a fresh bottle of water, offering it to him.

“M’fine just…” he cleared his throat, “Just a lot of talking.” He took the water bottle from her and sipped from it briefly before heading back to his office to type in his appointment notes.

“Everything okay?” Steve stopped him in the hallway. “You look…stressed.”

“Yeah he just. Kept doing magic tricks.” Eddie complained.

Normally he was all for Mr.Anderson’s funny antics, but today he was too drained to entertain anything, especially repetitive card tricks.

“Sorry.” Steve started, “Your next appointment isn’t for half an hour. Take a second to chill in silence or something maybe?”

“I know how to use my free time, Steve.”

Steve threw his hands up in defeat. “Yup! You’re absolutely right. What was I thinking?”

---

By the time lunch had rolled around, Eddie was done. Done with work. Done with talking to people. Done with feeling like shit. He had his head resting in folded arms at his desk, swallowing past the knives in his throat.

Robin clocked the limp figure as she walked past his office on the way to the break room. She turned to face Steve and Nancy and whispered, “Is he okay?”

Eddie cleared his throat, scaring them all. Robin had thought he was asleep.

“He lives!” She joked.

Eddie lifted his head, trying to stare daggers with his glazed eyes, “Would you all quit asking if I’m okay?? I’m fucking fine alright?”

“Yeah Eddie, you totally look and sound fine.” Steve murmured.

“What was that, Harrington??” He raised an eyebrow at the three figures standing in the hallway.

“Nothing! Jesus, I said you’re fine.”

Steve grumbled his way to the break room, Nancy and Robin following suit. The three of them sat down, Steve running a hand through his hair, clearly stressed. Robin popped her Dino nuggets in the microwave and then sat next to Steve, rubbing a hand on his back.

“I’m sorry. He’s being such a dick.” Steve whispered.

“It’s okay Steve. Don’t stress.” Nancy said, shrugging as she ate one of her carrots.

The friends sat in relative silence for a moment until a trio of harsh sneezes sounded from Eddie’s office.

“N’Gshuuh! Eh’TZiew! H- h’EKSHTew!”

Robin opened her mouth out of habit to say ‘bless you Doctor Rockstar’, but Steve clamped a hand over her mouth and shook his head.

“Don’t say it.”

Robin nodded, thankful Steve stopped her in time. They could all agree that today was not the day for that.

Steve sighed and pinched the bridge if his nose, “Fuck. He’s sneezing now. He’s just going to get so much more annoyed and pissy…”

Nancy rested a hand on Steve’s shoulder. “He’s a grown up Steve. Just let it run it’s course. He’ll be fine again in no time.”

---

Steve should have known better than that. He should know by now that when Eddie got sick, it almost always got worse before it got better. And now, just like clockwork, that’s what was happening.

The rest of the work afternoon was filled with tense silence punctuated by sneezing and coughing from Eddie’s office.

By the time they were closing up for the day, Eddie’s nose was tinged pink and he was exhausted. He leaned heavily against the wall by Steve’s desk.

“Are you alm’bost ready to go home? M’by head is killing m’be.” He asked in a weak but frustrated tone.

Steve looked up and his heart immediately dropped. Eddie looked awful. “Yeah, sorry let me just turn the computer off…”

Steve awkwardly scrambled to shut down the desktop computer and shovel a few things into his backpack.

“I’b gonna go wait in thehhh the car- H’iKTschEW! Eht’CHuhew! T’SZIEW!”

He steepled into his hands as he walked towards the back exit. Steve could faintly register an “ughh fuck” before a thick sniffle on his way out.

The younger man scooped up his backpack and jogged out after Eddie, jumping in the car not too long after he had. The car was silent except for watery sniffles from Eddie every now and again.

He figured Eddie was spaced out, too lost in a sick induced brain fog, but music seemed like it would ease the tension. Steve reached for the radio button and turned it up just a little bit. After a fifteen minute drive in the setting sun, he parked the car in their spot and made the short walk to their apartment.

“I’m gonna take a shower…” Eddie mumbled once they got inside, already dragging himself towards the bathroom.

“Guess I’ll make dinner then.” Steve said sassily to himself as the bathroom door shut and the shower water turned on.

When Eddie stepped out of the bathroom after twenty minutes or so, he’d disappeared into their bedroom to change and probably text some friends quickly.

Steve took it upon himself to take a quick shower, afterwards sitting on the sofa and watching reruns of How I Met Your Mother.

Eddie emerged from the bedroom in pajama pants, thick socks, and a T-shirt, cradling a box of tissues.

“I love this episode.” He flopped down on the other end of the couch and pulled one of their blankets over his legs.

It’s only a few minutes into the Blitz episode when Eddie frantically grabs a tissue and clamps it over his mouth, inhaling dramatically.

“ii’KTCH! H’esSHiew! H’MPTsch!!”

“Bless-”

“N’giSHuhew!!”

“Bless you!”

“Tha’gks…” Eddie groans, gurgling into the already damp tissue before tossing it aside and pulling a new one to blow again.

“On seco’d thought… I thi’gk I’b gonna go to bed.”

“Okay. Goodnight.” Steve wants to add that he hopes Eddie feels better, but refrains, keeping it to himself and his reruns.

*****

Wednesday, April 5th

The alarm only beeps once before Steve turns it off, slipping out of bed quietly to start getting ready. Eddie’s congested snores ring out in a way that Steve just knows his throats going to be raw when he wakes up.

After throwing his scrubs on, he makes himself and Eddie some coffee. He’s on his way back to the bedroom, double fisting mugs, when he runs into Eddie, standing in the doorway.

“Steve! It’s 6:30 why didn’t you wake me up???”

Steve’s taken aback by the heat in Eddie’s voice. “I was just making you coffee. I thought you could use the extra sleep. Was about to wake you up just now.”

“You don’t get to decide if I need sleep. I’ll have to take the coffee to-go now. There’s no time.” he turned around and stormed off to the bedroom to get dressed.

Steve huffed a sigh and went to empty the mugs contents into his partner’s travel cup.

Eddie felt absolutely wrecked. He didn’t know it was possible for him to wake up feeling worse than he did last night, and yet. Here he was with full body aches, a sinus headache, and chills. His entire body hurt and his skin was overly sensitive to everything.

He opted for scrub bottoms - the closest thing to sweatpants he could get away with - and a hoodie underneath his doctors coat. He coughed as he got dressed, the tight congestion in his chest slowly loosening.

Steve sat in the living room waiting for Eddie. Being sick had really slowed him down and it was now 6:53. They were behind schedule, usually leaving before 6:50am.

They both hopped in the car, music playing faintly as Steve drove them to work. The older of the two kept stifling chesty coughs with his mouth closed - clearly his lungs were more awake than he was.

As they pulled into the parking lot for Hawkins Medical, Eddie snapped forward into his elbow.

“Eh’GSHiew! snff h’eKTCH! H’eiTSCH!!” The sneezes were harsh and desperate, followed by another productive cough that made Steve wince.

“You sound a lot worse Eddie…” Steve commented hesitantly.

“Drop it, Steve.” He quipped, which would have been a lot more threatening if he wasn’t so god damn congested.

Steve went silent as they both got out of the car. Eddie paused for a minute. With one hand on the hood to steady him, he snapped at the waist sneezing again towards the ground. Steve shook his head and made his way into the clinic, leaving his boyfriend to clean himself up.

“Did Eddie finally stay home?” Robin started, a little too excited.

Steve signaled at her to stop talking as the back door bell chimed followed by some coughing.

Noticing the girls’ concerned looks, Steve quickly hissed, “Just leave it.”

“Hey Eddie.” Nancy said sympathetically as the man walked in looking worse for wear.

“Hi N’dance.”

The back door bell chimed again. Fuck. Billy. The man walked in (late as usual) and dumped his stuff at his desk. He offered a simple “Hey.” before he caught sight of Eddie coughing into another tissue.

“Are you sick Munson? Stay away from me.”

Everyone in the clinic knew Eddie was being pissy the last couple days. Everyone except Billy, who was off Monday and Tuesday. Steve bit his lip, preparing for whatever outburst was about to come from Eddie.

“You shouldn’t have to worry about that since I was going to tell you to fuck off anyways, Hargrove!” Eddie clapped back.

“Eddie!” Steve scolded.

“Hey hey hey! Everyone stop.” Robin stood up in between Eddie and Billy, but Billy just laughed.

“Would you look at that? Munson’s got some fire in him after all. I respect it.”

Nancy, Robin and Steve exchanged looks of confusion before Robin finally stepped back, knowing Billy wasn’t going to escalate the situation.

“But seriously. Don’t fucking get me sick.” Billy pointed at Eddie on the way back towards his desk.

“How about. I go open the doors and we all take a breather? Would that be fine??” Robin asks, exasperated, slowly backing away to open the clinic for business.

Robin pulls her phone out of her back pocket and sends a quick update text to Chrissy. The two had been talking a lot more since they started flirting and so Chrissy was very well aware of the situation.

Jesus Chris, Eddie just almost fought Billy in the nurses station. Told him to fuck off and everything.

Chrissy’s reply was almost immediate:

In any other circumstance that would be the highlight of my week. Poor Eddie, he must really be feeling sick if he’s that confrontational.

The strawberry blonde had known Eddie longer than Robin had known Steve, so she certainly knew all of his quirks. Apparently this was one of them.

Ugh. Yeah. He sounds terrible. Gotta work now. Text you later. Xx

Today was unfortunately one of the busier days. The silver lining was that it was filled with familiar faces. As Robin pocketed her phone, a red haired girl who was about 21 came skating in through the doors.

“No skating in the clinic Max! I’m sorry I don’t make the rules.” Robin said.

“Sorry.” She chuckled signing herself in. Her other arm was wrapped in an ace bandage.

“Steve will come get ya soon, just. Hang tight okay?” Robin teased.

The girl nodded. When Robin came back, Steve was just behind her. He opened the door to the waiting room.

“Hey Max, come on back.”

“Hey Steve!” She clocked her older (step)brother, Billy, in the nurses station as she walked back with Steve, “Hey Dickwad!”

“Grow up Maxine!” He yelled back, flipping her the bird.

She smirked and threw two birds up in response as she followed Steve into exam room 1.

Steve stifled a laugh once the door was closed. “Authentic sibling love…”

“Step sibling. Am I wrong??” Max asked, grinning.

“I mean. He did look up when you said dickwad.” Steve laughed, hooking her up to the blood pressure cuff and slipping the thermometer in her mouth.

Steve typed a few notes in the computer until the cuff deflated. He took the thermometer out from her mouth and looked at the numbers on the BP machine. He typed some more in the computer before heading out.

“Blood pressure is normal considering you live with Billy.” Steve commented, “Eddie will be in to see you soon!”

“No rush!” She called after him. Might as well make herself comfortable. She lay back on the crinkly paper, bending her knees, feet on the table.

She stayed like this for a few minutes before a couple rough sneezes from outside the door startled her.

There was a knock on the door before it opened, Eddie stepping inside.

“Bless you.” She said, slowly sitting up, “Jesus you look like shit.”

Eddie rolled his eyes, washing his hands. “Thank you so much for the compliment. You have such a way with words.”

“Ha ha.” She teased.

“You been icing that sprain?”

“Yup!”

“Wrapping it?”

“Yup!”

Eddie squinted his eyes and glanced at the skateboard in the corner. “You been staying off your board?”

Max paused. Caught. “No… but I haven’t fallen on the wrist! Promise!”

“We’ll see about that. Give it here.”

Max holds her arm out. Eddie sniffles wetly as he unwraps the ace bandage.

“So are you sick or something?” She breaks the silence.

He looks up at her eyebrow raised. “You must be confused. I’m pretty sure you’re the patient in this room.”

Max matched his energy pretty quickly. “Really? Hmm I just thought because you come in here sneezing and looking all sickly…”

“Sickly?!” Eddie scoffed as best he could before turning and coughing into his elbow.

Max watched the display and just shrugged.

“Listen you shouldn’t call me sickly when your skating career lies in the hands of my doctors note.”

Now that the bandage was off she flexed her hand and rotated the wrist a few times.

“Feel okay?” He asked.

“Yeah. Feels good.” She nodded and Eddie opened the drawer behind him and pulled out a box.

He tore it open and held it up. “This. Is your new brace. Wear this for a week and you should be good to go. But no crazy skate tricks!!”

“Whatever you say, Doc.” She hopped off the table and grabbed her board. “Hope you stop being sickly soon.”

“Very funny.” He said sarcastically as she made her way to check out with Robin.

Now that she’d left, Eddie felt his entire demeanor drop. The happy Doctor facade. He put it on for his patients, but he felt like absolute garbage.

he grabbed a few tissues from the box on the exam room counter and blew his nose. He paused as the act sent a tickly buzzing through his nose and his eyes fluttered shut.

“H’eiSHuhew! E’kSHT!”

He grabbed a couple more tissues and blew his nose again before binning them and washing his hands. He was in for a long day.

---

Mrs.Henderson is the last patient before lunch. Usually everyone loves the Hendersons - especially Dustin. However, today Mrs.Henderson came in alone, just her and her hypochondria.

“Hi Robin dear, I really need to see Doctor Munson, it’s urgent. I don’t mean to alarm you but I think I have smallpox.”

Robin stared wide eyed. This was a new one, even for her. “Okay ummm let me just get Steve and we’ll see you in just a second okay?”

Robin took the chart and headed back to Steve. “She thinks she’s got smallpox this time.”

Steve sighed. “Gimme the chart.”

The brunette took a breath and then called her back to Exam 3. “Hey Mrs.Henderson. What brings you in?”

“Didn’t Robin tell you? I think I have smallpox. It showed up a few days ago. Look!”

She points to her ankles, where he locks eyes with the most obvious flea bites he ever did see. Eddie’s gonna love this…

“Alright. Let me get Doctor Munson okay?”

Steve finds Eddie hunched over in his office, face buried in his hoodie sleeves.

“N’xxTCH! ii’xtCHU! H’tchiYUE!”

“Bless you times three!” He announces himself.

Eddie wipes his nose on the sleeve of his jacket and very briefly gives Steve a puppy dog look. “What now?”

“Mrs.Henderson is here. She’s got flea bites on the ankles…”

“And she thinks its….?” Eddie starts.

“Smallpox.”

“Of course she does. Can’t you give her to Billy this time?” He almost whines.

Steve frowned, “She asked for you.

��Ughhh okay fine.” Eddie stands up, clearly at the end of his rope, and takes the chart from Steve, marching into the exam room.

“Oh good Doctor Munson! I need you to look at my legs. I have smallpox-”

“Mrs.Henderson. It’s not smallpox. I can assure you that much.” Eddie says, looking at her legs, “Don’t you have a cat?”

“Dusty brought me another one so now I have two actually. Mittens and Buttercup-”

“They’re flea bites Mrs.Henderson.” Eddie tries to stay calm.

“But I read online that smallpox can cause itchy bumps…”

“So do fleas.” Eddie stated.

“But Google said-”

“Mrs.Henderson. Do you have any other smallpox symptoms? Scabs? Stomachaches?” He cut her off.

She shakes her head and stares at him as he continues, “Do you have a fever?”

“… no.”

“Well I do.” Eddie starts, “and I don’t know how else to prove it to you, but those are flea bites. I’ll give you an antihistamine cream for the itching. And I can recommend a really good vet for your cats.”

He scribbles out a prescription on his pad while she seems to consider. She now seemed less paranoid and more sympathetic.

“Okay. That would be lovely. Thank you.”

“Perfect.” Eddie sighed and gave her his best fake smile before leaving the room. He passed the chart off to Steve and then went to his office to sit down.

---

As soon as the front doors were locked for lunch, Robin hit up Steve’s desk. “Wanna do a coffee run with me?”

“Yeah sure. Now?”

Robin nodded. “Yes sir I need caffeine.”

Steve grabbed his car keys and the pair left. Thankfully there was a great coffee shop just down the road. They acquired three iced lattes for the two of them and Nancy. Billy always brought his own Red Bull, and Steve picked up some hot tea with lemon for Eddie.

They were back at the office in damn near record time - only 15 minutes out of the office. Nancy was eating in the break room. Eddie was in there too now, resting his head in his folded arms on the table again.

“We come with coffee!” Robin announced, handing one of the iced drinks over to Nancy.

“Thank you!!” She pleaded.

Eddie sat up and started that god awful coughing again. He was so pale with a bright flush over his cheeks. His nose was pink and damp and his cough was definitely not getting any better.

Steve came up behind him and rubbed his back, not liking the heat coming through, even past the thick sweatshirt layers.

“Hey, you feel really warm, Eds. Maybe you should see a doctor.” Steve said, concerned.

“For fucks sake Steven! I don’t need a doctor okay?!? I am a doctor!!”

The outburst startled everyone, especially with the amount of heat behind Eddie’s voice.

“Jesus Christ Eddie I’m just trying to help. Here! I brought you tea!” Steve aggressively puts the paper cup in front of Eddie.

The older man looks at the cup and then looks at Steve as he pushes it across the table away from him.

Robin looked at Steve and then immediately looked away. She knew that look. Steve was pissed. He was absolutely seething.

“You wanna sit here and be fucking miserable?? Fine. Be miserable, I don’t care.” Steve stormed out of the room swearing under his breath. “Fuck!”

Nancy and Robin stand there awkwardly before Robin decides to break the ice.

“We’re gonna give you some space Eddie.” The two of them took their lunch and coffee and went to go sit with Steve at his desk.

As soon as everyone left the room, Eddie reached for the paper cup of tea and sipped on it greedily. He did want the tea. It helped with some of the congestion and especially helped with the chills. He wasn’t sure how, but Steve always knew just what he needed.

---

The rest of the day was tense to say the least. After yelling at Steve, he could tell Steve was angry and hurt and wasn’t going to talk about it. So Eddie just kept pouting until they got back to the apartment.

After a shower, he decided he’d just go lie down and give his body a break. He was fucking freezing but his face felt too hot and all the while, he was slipping into fever dreams he didn’t want to be in.

---

He was back in Med school, doing practice rounds at the hospital. He hated the reputation he had here. Not only was he the oldest in his group because he kept failing classes, but because it’s a small town, everyone knew about his history. About his dad.

Imagine first day of school jitters when everyone knows your dad beats you and your mom when you come home. Not exactly a golden ticket to the popular crowd, that’s for sure.

Everyone knew his family couldn’t afford med school either. So they knew he was a bartender on the side to help pay bills.

“Trailer trash Eddie thinks he’s going to be a doctor!” He could hear people teasing.

Stupid how cruel even adults can be when they wanted to.

“Help me Eddie.”

He knows that voice. He hasn’t heard it in years. Why does he know that voice???

He follows it down the corridor, but it only gets more desperate.

“Please Eddie! Please help me! Why won’t you help me??!”

He’s running. Flying down the stairs until he reaches the double doors labeled morgue. He stops in his tracks and pushes the doors open slowly. The screaming dies down and one of the bodies on the table sits up.

It’s his mom. She has bruises on her body and face, a massive gash in her bottom lip.

“Eddie.”

He runs over to her. He’s not too much taller than her when she’s sitting up on the autopsy table.

“Mom…” he hasn’t seen her since he was 8.

He cups her cold cheek with his hand and stares into her eyes, on the verge of tears. Suddenly he feels something warm roll down his hand. He looks and sees blood dripping down the side of her head and onto his arm. It’s coming from the gunshot wound from his father. Her husband.

“Oh my god!” He gasps, falling backwards and crawling across the floor.

He’d only been 8 when his father killed her and Eddie found her. Only 8 when he had to testify in open court and out his father away.

“I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry.” He sobs squeezing his eyes shut and willing her away from him.

It’s silent all around him for a minute and he opens his eyes. She’s not on the table anymore. She’s limp, being held bridal style by …his dad.

“Get up!” He shouts.

Eddie is frozen. He can’t move.

“I said get up!!” His dad commands.

All of a sudden he’s 8 years old again, scared of his dad. He scrambles to his feet while his dad looks him in the eye and drops his moms body to the floor.

“Do you know what you are?” He asks Eddie, jamming his finger into Eddie’s chest, “You’re a fucking liability. You’re nothing. You will always be nothing. You couldn’t save her. How do you expect to save your patients, huh? Certainly not by taking a sick day, that’s for fucking sure.”

Eddie starts crying quietly. “Wayne!! Uncle Wayne help me please!”

He calls into the void but there’s nothing. Just him, his dead mom, and his demons.

---

It’s close to 11pm when Steve turns off the tv and heads to their bedroom to go to sleep. He brushes his teeth quietly, so not to wake Eddie, and then crawls into bed next to his partner.

A small whimper makes Steve look over. Eddie’s asleep, but his brown is furrowed. He looks panicked and keeps making small whimpering noises.

Instinctively, Steve reaches out and runs a hand through Eddie’s hair. The older man almost immediately calms down a little. Steve pauses, resting the back of his fingers on Eddie’s forehead and then his cheek.

The poor guy is absolutely throwing off heat waves. Steve keeps running gentle fingers through Eddie’s hair until the whimpers are replaced by the usual congested snores. After Eddie’s settled again, Steve finally lays down and turns off the bedside lamp.

*****

Thursday, April 6th

Steve groans to himself as he finally turns off the alarm that he’s already snoozed twice. Its 6:35 and he’s barely gotten six hours of sleep. He kept waking up in the middle of the night either to check on Eddie or because he was too hot from sleeping next to Eddie.

He peels himself out of bed, surprised to see Eddie wasn’t there. Some harsh coughing echoing from the kitchen answered that question, though.

Steve pulls on his scrubs and heads to the bathroom, not wasting any time. He added some mousse and spray to his hair, giving it a once over before brushing his teeth and washing his face. He put on his watch and checked the time. 6:48 - time to go.

Grabbing his bag, he heads into the kitchen where Eddie is sitting at the table. He’s in his scrub bottoms and hoodie again, with a thin blanket draped around his shoulders. He’s got dark circles under his eyes and his nose is red and raw from blowing it so much.

“You were up early.” Steve commented, grabbing the car keys and opening the front door.

“Couldn’t sleep.” Eddie coughed, as he exited the apartment.

“Wait. Eddie. You’ve still got the blanket.” Steve points out.

The long haired man waves a hand dismissively. “I’m taking it with me.”

With that, he gets into the passenger seat of the car and leans back, blanket still wrapped around his shoulders, letting his eyes droop. His lips are parted slightly so he can breathe, a small detail that Steve picks up on as soon as he starts the car up.

They pull onto the main road when Eddie starts fidgeting, rifling through the glove compartment.

“What are you-? Oh..” Steve knows this look. Eddie’s pre-sneeze look.

His eyes are fluttering shut and his nostrils are flaring. He’s been sniffling the last couple minutes too so he’s assuming Eddie thinks it’s going to be messy.

“Hold on, hold on!” Steve has one hand on the wheel and one hand trying to grab at the middle console, but he’s also trying to drive the car.

Eddie buckles forward, using both his hands to pull the corner of his blanket up to cover.

“H’issh! NxxTCH! Eh’GSHT! snfsnff ii’KSHT’iew!”

“Bless you! Jesus…”

Steve grimaces at how sick and contagious those sneezes sounded. There’s no way the blanket escaped unscathed. He opens the middle console and pulls a handful of napkins, holding them out to Eddie.

The older man grabs at them and quickly holds them over his nose, pausing for a second, “heh-ISHHuu!”

The raspy sneeze turns into a desperate nose blow. Eddie drops the soaked napkin by his feet and grabs another to gurgle into. After he cleaned himself up, he grabs the last napkin and scrubs at his blanket.

“That can’t be sanitary…” Steve whispers to himself.

Eddie just coughs and leans his head against the cool window of the car until they park in the lot for Hawkins Medical.

The boys walk in where Robin is once again chatting with Nancy before opening.

“Hey guys-” Robin starts.

Steve stares at her wide eyed, mentally telling her not to even address the sorry state of Eddie. The doctor follows in behind Steve, pulling the blanket closer to him.

“N’dancy do you have any m’bore tissues?”

“Yeah Eddie, sure.” She opens the cabinet under the sink behind her and pulls out a fresh box and hands it to him.

“Tha’gks.” He sulks off to his office and Nancy gives Steve a look.

She leans in close and hisses, “You are not letting him see patients like that.”

Steve shrugged and held up his hands in defeat. “I don’t know what you want me to do about Nancy. I’ve been yelled at so many times this week. My hands are tied.”

Nancy and Robin both felt bad. Steve was in a really tough position, wanting to help but also not wanting to start any fights with Eddie. Billy walked in and pointed towards the back office.

“You letting patient zero stay here today??”

For once in his life, Billy was not only right, but valid in his concern. Eddie definitely shouldn’t be here right now.

“He won’t listen to me so I guess yeah. Yeah he is.”

Billy rolled his eyes. The clinic would be opening soon. The first patient was for Billy and then Nancy. Eddie’s first patient wasn't until 9:30.

The first part of the morning went smooth, leaving Eddie to drink his coffee and work on notes in his office. But by the time his first patient showed up, everyone was walking on eggshells.

“Morning Jessica!” Robin grinned.

Jessica was one of the regular patients in her late 30’s who was always friendly with the staff. Her and her girlfriend, Beck, were two of the funniest people around.

“Hey girl! How you doing?” Jessica asked.

“Hanging in there this week.” Robin leaned in close and brought her voice down to a whisper, “Doctor E’s sick and refuses to admit it.”

Jessica mouths the knowing “ahhhhh” as she nods. “I know the type. Doctors make the worst patients though, am I right?”

Robin nodded profusely. “Looks like you had a credit from the last appointment so no copay today. Go ahead and have a seat. I’ll have Steve get you soon.”

She grabs Jessica’s chart and marches it back to Steve. “Our favorite is here for her new med follow up.”

“Perfect! I’ll bring this to sick boy.” Steve types something into his computer and then stands up to let Jessica into an exam room.

---

Eddie looks dead on his feet when Steve brings in Jessica’s chart.

“First one for you Eds.” He says as nonchalantly as he can.

“Yup. I got it.” Eddie stands, but has to steady himself, closing his eyes to let the wave of dizziness pass.

Abandoning his blanket momentarily, he grabs the chart and heads into the exam room.

“Hey Jessica. You’ll have to excuse this-” he gestures to his entire demeanor, “I’m not feeling the best.”

“Understatement of the year, I suppose.” Jessica teased. “Sorry you’re not feeling well!”

Eddie sits down on the chair across the room, already too tired to stand. “So last time you were here we started you on 25mg of Zoloft. That was about three months ago. How are you feeling now?”

“Honestly? Best I’ve felt in a long time.” Jessica smiles.

“Any weird side effects? Mood swings? Any more bad thoughts?”

She thinks for a second but responds matter of factly, “Nope! Feels great.”

“Then I think I’d like to keep you on 25mg for now, but if anything changes you come back and we can reassess okay?”

“Bing, bang, boom! That was quick and easy.” She exclaims, grabbing her cross shoulder bag. “See you in a few months I guess!”

Eddie nodded, “See you then! Robin will get you all checked out.”

When he thought she couldn’t see him anymore, his face fell and he rubbed at his temple. Jessica made her way back to the front window.

“He’s worse than I thought.” She whispered to Robin, “He thought I couldn’t see but he looks really out of it and run down. Needs a pick me up or something.”

Those words echoed in Robins head as she signed Jessica out. He needs a pick me up.

If there was one thing Robin was good at it was humor. Once Jessica was gone, Robin made her way back towards Eddie’s office but saw him in the hallway.

“Hey Eddie! I have a joke for you. How do you tell if a vampire is sick?”

She paused briefly before answering her own joke, “By how much he’s coffin!!”

Eddie stared at her with annoyed eyes before he shouted, “Seriously Robin?? What are you comparing me to a Vampire now?? Stop trying to be funny and go back to work.”

Thank god he stormed off to his office because Robin was too shocked to move or speak. That stung. She’d never been yelled at by Eddie before. Before she knew it, Steve had a hand on her shoulder saying, “I’m so sorry Robs, ignore him.”

Her best friend kept speed walking into Eddie’s office and shut the door behind him so he could yell at his boyfriend in private.

“What the fuck Eddie??? You cannot speak to Robin like that, especially when she’s trying to cheer you up. You owe her an apology.”

Eddie just glares at his desk.

“Did you hear me Eddie?? Fucking apologize. Either get your shit together or go home. Jesus Christ…”

Steve is the one to storm out this time, slamming the door behind him. Nancy and Billy definitely heard, but opted to keep to themselves. Probably for the better anyways.

---

Robin was scribbling numbers on her insurance verification sheet for tomorrow. This was probably her least favorite part of the day, running numbers and making calls to the obscure insurance companies to ask about it.

Her concentration was broken when there was a small burst of wind as someone sat on the chair next to her.

“Hey Birdie.”

It was Eddie. Still wrapped in his blanket. But this time he looked apologetic and sad.

“I should NOT have yelled at you like that. The joke was funny and you just wanted to make me laugh.”

She slowly looked up and met his eyes. They were glazed and teary.

“I’m really really sorry Robin. I didn’t mean to. I just.” His voice wavered, “I just feel so sick!”

Two silent tears rolled down his cheeks. Robin’s heart broke and she immediately pulled him into a sitting hug, holding his head to her shoulder (and shielding him from any patients that might walk in.)

Steve walked up holding papers to copy but stopped dead in his tracks. Robin looked up at Steve, shooting him a look that screamed, “SOS he broke” as she held him.

Steve set the papers down and rushed over, kneeling in front of Robin and Eddie. He rubbed Eddie’s forearm.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Look at me.”

Eddie slowly turns to look at Steve, his face wet with tears and a thin layer of sweat. His nose is running from crying. Robin brushes some strands of hair out of his face with one hand and grabs the tissue box and sets it on her lap with the other.

“I feel bad.” He sobs, “I yelled at everyone and I wish I didn’t and I just feel so sihhh hhh -sick- h’iKSHT!”

Robin bites her lip in disgust as she rubs her friends back. Steve grabs a few tissues and wipes away the strings of mess from Eddie’s nose. He runs a hand through Eddie’s hair and then rests his palm on his forehead.

“You’re burning up Eds. I’m gonna go grab the thermometer.”

“Should we like…put him in an exam room or something Steve? I can sit with him until lunch and you can take him home…”

“Uhhh yeah fuck okay. That’s a good idea.”

Robin helps Eddie up and they walk over to Exam room 1 since the bed is against the wall.

“Just. Lay down for a second Eddie.” Robin is flustered. She doesn’t usually spend much time in the actual exam rooms.

He lays down, resting his head on the small pillow, and she pulls his blanket over his shoulders. He’s still sniffling from crying, his cheeks are flushed bright red.

Steve comes in with his little vitals cart, pulling the thermometer from its spot next to the blood pressure cuff.

“Open up Eds.” Steve slips the device under his tongue and waits for the reading. “102.4° Eddie. No wonder you feel so bad.”

Robin’s already going through the cabinets in the exam room until she finds what she’s looking for. She’s seen Eddie use it on some of the Peds patients before.

She opens the box and takes out a gel fever patch, peeling off the adhesive and gently sticking it to Eddie’s forehead. He whimpers slightly at how good it feels.

“Oh my god Robin those are for children.” Steve can’t help but laugh a little.

“A fever is a fever, Steve.”

She has a point.

“You sure you’re okay watching him?” He asks.

“Yeah I mean as long as you check people in and out. It’s only an hour or so. Just turn the lights off on your way out.”

Steve nods, flicking the light off and closing the door. He’s already sending texts to Chrissy asking if she can cover him tomorrow.

---

Despite it only being an hour, give or take, Steve is super anxious wanting to take Eddie home and get him to bed. As soon as the last patient was out the door, Steve was already locking up for lunch and making his way back to Exam 1.

“Hey buddy.” Steve gently rubs Eddie’s shoulder after turning on the light.

Lunch hour started and Steve had come to relieve Robin of her babysitting duties. Eddie slowly blinked himself awake.

“Hey Stevie…”

“How’re you feeling?” Robin stands up from the chair next to the exam room bed, stretching her legs.

Eddie groans and rubs at his nose, sniffing, “Really really sick actually…”

“You ready to go home?” Steve asks, petting his hair.

“Yeah. I am.” Eddie sits up and touches his forehead, “What is this??”

“It’s a fever patch, dummy. Don’t touch it!” Robin playfully slaps his hand away.

She helps Eddie to his feet and he notices Steve’s already got his backpack and the car keys.

“Are you… staying home with me? Steve you don’t have to…”

“Yes I do. And Chrissy’s gonna cover for me tomorrow too. Especially if you’re finally dropping the ‘doctors don’t get sick’ act and will let me help you.”

“If some soup and the good tissues are involved I’ll gladly accept that offer.”

They make their way out into the hallway and stop outside the break room where Robin just joined Nancy.

“I’m sorry for being a dick this week Nancy.”

“It’s okay Eddie, just get some rest!” Nancy’s mom-friend tone was coming out.

Steve nodded at them and gently shoveled Eddie out the back door into their car. The drive back to their apartment was still about fifteen minutes, but it felt so much faster.

“I’m thinking maybe a shower for you and then bed.” Steve looks over from behind the wheel.

Eddie coughed into his elbow. “I was thinking the same thing.”

When they parked and got out of the car, Steve was expecting Eddie to beeline for the shower like he had the past couple of days, but instead, he gives Steve the biggest hug.

“I’m sorry I’ve been so mean.” Eddie mumbles into Steve’s chest. “I’ll do whatever you say, I’m just tired of feeling like shit.”

Steve softens and leans into the hug. “It’s okay Eddie. I just want you to feel better. Why don’t you go shower and get in bed and I’ll bring you some tea?”

---

Steve had started the tea when he heard Eddie get out of the shower. He didn’t want to start it early and risk it getting cold.

He let the water boil in the electric kettle, letting the tea steep after it had stopped bubbling. He stirred in a bit of honey for good measure and walked it over to the bedroom.

“Eddie, you decent?” He called gently.

When no response came, he toed open the slightly ajar door. Eddie was passed out, face down in his favorite black sweats and a waffle knit shirt. He snored softly, face buried in the bedsheets.

Steve set the tea down on the bedside table and draped a clean quilt over him, taking the dirty one to the wash. He closed the door quietly behind him and made his way to the kitchen to make himself some lunch.

His phone buzzed as a text from Robin came through.

How’s he doing?

He typed out a quick response.

Hey Robs. He’s out cold in bed already…

That was quick 🤣

Record time, I think.

Steve laughed to himself while he reheated leftover pasta. He didn’t know how long he’d have to entertain himself, but Eddie definitely needed some rest.

****

Friday, April 7th

“-chEW!”

Steve slowly pulls himself from sleep, vaguely aware of the wet sneezes sounding next to him.

“K’tschIEW! snrkk sorry I didn’t m’bean to wake you up. Tried to stifle them but… they were too strong.”

“S’okay. Bless you.” Steve props himself up on his elbows and reaches over to feel Eddie’s forehead while he blows his nose. “Feeling any better?”

“Yeah, but still feel like I got hit by a bus.” He tossed the tissues to the side and leans back against the pillows propping him up, “Can’t breathe through m’by n’dose.”

“I’m sorry babe. I’ll look around for the humidifier later and see if that helps.”

Eddie nodded, while Steve grabbed the thermometer off the table by the bed and pressed the ON button. He hands it to Eddie, who slips it under his tongue.

They wait for a minute until it beeps. Eddie leans forward and Steve takes the device to check the reading.

“What’s the damage n’durse Steve?”

“100.3°. Explains why you feel so crummy. A lot lower than yesterday though.” Steve kisses the top of Eddie’s head before getting out of bed to get dressed.

Eddie slumps down, closing his eyes again. He only intended to rest them for a minute, but soon enough he’s right back asleep.

---

Steve’s in the kitchen heating up some soup for Eddie when there’s a knock on the door. He turns the heat down to low and goes to open it.

“Hey Robin what’re you doing here?”

She smiles and holds up a paper bag, “Thought I’d drop by on my lunch break to drop off bagel sandwiches for you.”

“That’s so nice!” Steve stepped aside, “Come on in.”

“How’s Eddie doing?” She asks.

“Well…” Steve points to the living room where there’s a figure hunched over a small humidifier with a towel over their head. “His fever’s down but he’s super congested still. I have him doing humidifier treatment while I make him some soup.

“How very domestic of you.” She smirks, making her way over to the covered figure.

“Hey Eds! Brought you some bagels! Feel any better?”

He flips the towel over his head so it’s resting on his back. His face is looks clammy from the steam.

“Thanks Robin.” He turns away to cough and then teeters his hand back and forth. “Eh. Been better. Still feel like shit.”

Almost on cue, his eyes flutter closed and he turns to the side, leaning into the crook of his elbow.

“M’ptSHew! G’isSHuhew! H’ekTSCH!”

“Bless you!! I gotta get back to the clinic, but feel better, yeah? Lord of rest this weekend.” Robin ruffles his hair and heads back to the front door where Steve is waiting.

Eddie gives a tired thumbs up from behind his tissues before throwing the towel back over his head.

“Guess you finally got him to drop the act?”

Steve sighs, “Yeah. Fucking finally. Doctors do get sick after all.”

The two of them chuckle to themselves, certain Eddie couldn’t hear their teasing over the hiss of the humidifier.

“Thanks for the bagels.” Steve gives Robin a hug on her way out. “See you Monday?”

She walks backwards out the door, shooting finger guns at him. “You know it Steve-o!”

Steve smiled at the ground as he closed the front door, turning the stove back up to a boil. He was so thankful for friends like Robin. And thankful his boyfriend was finally letting him take care of him.

#s/tranger t/hings #e/ddie m/unson #s/teve h/arrington #r/obin b/uckley #c/hrissy c/unningham #b/illy h/argrove #doctors office AU #kb au’s #kb writes #snzblr #snz kink #illness #sickfic #snzfic #steddiesnz #sneeze kink

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obwjam · 8 months

Note

okay someone else probably asked this already but... a part 3 of this black panther x tiny reader fic going on where they meet T'challa and shuri... would be golden... just saying...

you ask and YE SHALL RECIEVE

(parts 1 and 2)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Really? That’s your name?”

You gave Ross a look of utter perplexity. Of all the reactions you were expecting, that was certainly not one of them. What was wrong with Lina?

He promptly apologized for his adverse reaction. “Sorry, it’s, uh, it’s been a long day. … More like a long few months.” He sighed, suddenly keen on changing the subject. “Look, I know you might not want to tell me everything, and that’s okay, but… can you tell me how exactly you got here?”

You didn’t really want to explain it all – or relive it – but you really didn’t have a choice. You recounted all the details, observing the way his expression changed from curious to concerned to downright angry.

“Jeez, kid. I’m sorry you had to go through all of that.” You nodded to show your appreciation for his concern, which he was grateful for. “But, believe it or not, it’s almost a good thing that this happened. We haven’t had any leads on Killmonger’s whereabouts or business dealings, and you just gave us a place to start. I know T’Challa and Shuri will really appreciate that.”

You winced at those names. More people. More giants.

This time, Ross noticed. “Sorry, but I can’t not tell them about you.” He racked his brain, searching for the best way to calm you down. “Think about it this way. If you were… normal-sized… and you essentially trespassed into someone else’s very big, very important castle, and you had information they were looking for… wouldn’t they have the right to meet you and find out what you know?”

You hesitated. That was a good point, you supposed, but it left out a key detail – you didn’t intend for this to happen. You just wanted to leave and not be caught up in what was quickly becoming a global conspiracy in your mind.

Ross abruptly came to a stop. He could feel your tremors increasing the more he talked about T’Challa and Shuri. He wanted to move this case along, but above all, he just wanted you to feel safe and secure.

“Hey,” he said softly, lifting his hand up so you could be at eye level. He marveled at your tiny form, still not quite sure how something so small and delicate could exist. “I know this is probably really, really scary for you. But trust me, T’Challa and Shuri would never hurt a fly. I promise they’ll be nothing but kind to you. Okay?”

All you could do was nod and try your best to trust him.

You tried to take your mind off the impending meeting by admiring the regality of the massive hallways you passed through. It hadn’t really sunk in until Ross said castle – this place was for literal royalty. You were about to meet some of the most important people of this country, maybe even the world. Even if you only discovered its existence a few days ago, it felt like an unbelievably daunting and important task.

Your surroundings changed as you went along, becoming more dark and ominous as you descended. Soon you were in a dimly-lit hallway that looked more akin to your underground hideouts and passageways than a place that housed nobility. You approached a single door that was pretty mundane at first, until you got close to it. The design on it was shimmering and intricate, as if it were changing with each flicker of your gaze. Ross asked if you were ready, and after a few deep breaths, you gave him the thumbs-up.

The room was infinitely more imposing than the last one, because this wasn’t just a room. It was a lab, filled with tables and insane-looking equipment and a larger-than-life artful spiral staircase in the middle. The sterile LED lights were enough to send you into a panic.

Instinctively, Ross curled his fingers around you just a little bit tighter, temporarily sealing you off from the overwhelming world above you. His warmth was able to bring your heart rate back down to semi-normal.

“Ah, Agent Ross,” a soft, yet confident voice rang out. That was undoubtedly Prince T’Challa.

“My favorite white man!” a much more youthful voice interjected. Definitely Princess Shuri.

“Aw, I’m touched,” Ross deadpanned. “I, ah, I’m afraid I have some bad news.”

“Straight to the point,” T’Challa mused. “What is it?”

“Well, firstly, Killmonger was here.”

A cold silence. “What? When?” Shuri finally asked.

“Days ago.”

T’Challa shifted uncomfortably. “How did we not notice?”

“He was in and out very quickly, I think. He had just come back from England and was probably keen on getting back there as soon as possible.”

“How do you know he was in England?” Shuri questioned. “An hour ago, you didn’t know anything.”

Ross sighed as your breathing picked up. Here it comes.

“I, uh… I had some help.”

You felt yourself being lifted up even higher, and soon, you had to cover your eyes for a moment as those harsh LED lights penetrated your sight. The light only became dimmer when two dark, long shadows suddenly appeared over you.

There was a moment of awed silence before Shuri finally spoke. “No way…”

“Agent Ross? Who is this?”

To everyone’s surprise, Shuri rolled her eyes. “They’re a borrower, brother. How do you not know?”

“How do you know?” Ross asked.

Shuri shrugged. “Because I am cultured.” She finally took a moment to truly study you – sure, she knew about borrowers, but she had never actually seen one. Certainly not in Wakanda. You were scared out of your wits, that much was clear, but she could also see just how disheveled you were… like you had been through more and seen more than most people had in their entire lives.

“What is your name, little one?” You were surprised that Shuri was being so gentle.

“It’s Lina,” Ross said, silently praying that you would calm down. “They, uh, they’re not too keen on talking.”

“That’s alright,” Shuri said, sympathy in her voice as she looked right at you.

“How exactly did they get here?” T’Challa cut in. It was his turn to gawk at you now. He would have to ask Shuri how she knew all about “borrowers” later. Right now, he was just stunned that something like you existed.

Ross knew you weren’t going to want to recount the story again, so he did all the talking. You cowered under the gazes of the three giants, who all shot you sad glances whenever Ross retold a particularly grueling detail.

“All the way from England, huh?” T’Challa said when Ross was done. “You must be exhausted, Lina.”

You nodded. You could say that…

Suddenly, Shuri’s eyes lit up. “I’ll be right back!” she declared, taking off so fast that you almost fell backwards in Ross’s hand.

T’Challa frowned as he continued to stare. He already felt a tremendous responsibility to protect his people from outside threats… and now he had to protect you, too. He just had to. He couldn’t let you go back out there with Ross, it was too dangerous. Especially not after what Killmonger had done to you. There was no place on earth safer than Wakanda.

“Lina…” he started, leaning down to get to your level. You gulped. “My name is T’Challa, prince of Wakanda. I’m sorry you had to go through that with my cousin. He is… well, we’re trying to bring him to justice. I wish I had known… I would have helped you if I knew you were in that room all alone.”

You blushed. How could he possibly feel bad about that? “It’s– it’s okay,” you stammered, just loud enough for him to hear. “I–I’m fine now.”

T’Challa noticed the way you were nervously eyeing the landscape of the room, and he realized what all the lab equipment might look like to someone so small. “Don’t worry, little one, you’re safe in here with us. We’re not going to hurt you.”

You stared up at the giant prince. No matter how skeptical you were, his soft expression and caring voice were pretty convincing. He truly sounded like he wanted to help.

As quickly as she had left, Shuri came running back into the room. “I had some leftover samosas! I thought our little guest would be hungry.”

“I thought there was a strict no food in the lab rule?” T’Challa teased.

Shuri rolled her eyes. “Come on, brother, don’t be rude! You know exceptions can be made.” Shuri laid the samosa down on a mostly-empty lab table and broke off an impossibly small piece.

She didn’t need to say anything to know what would happen next. The room fell silent as Ross slowly lowered his hand to the tabletop, teeth clenching at the tremors he could still feel from you. He hated that you had to be so petrified just to get something to eat.

You ambled off his hand, your hunger overpowering all your thoughts as you caught a whiff of the samosa. You had never smelled anything quite like it before.

You tried to ignore the heat of everyone’s stares, but you supposed watching you go about your daily life was like a novelty for them. Honestly, you couldn’t blame them; if you got the opportunity to just watch a human go about their day in peace, you wouldn’t look away.

You tried not to think about the fact that this samosa was almost as tall as you were. Luckily, the piece Shuri broke off for you was more than manageable. You took a cautious bite, as if it were a trap, but the instant the food hit your taste buds, it was like you were in a trance. In an instant, your food was gone.

The three humans couldn’t help but smile as you wolfed down your food, until Ross asked a sobering question. “Jeez, they must not get a lot to eat, huh?”

The Wakandan siblings exchanged glances. “Hm. I never really thought of that,” Shuri admitted.

“They must not have much of anything. Is this how you found them?” T’Challa asked.

“Yeah. Nothing but the clothes on their back.”

“Well, that simply won’t do.” T’Challa let you finish eating before once again bending down to your level. “Lina, how would you like to stay here with us for a while?”

You paused, and T’Challa read the apprehension on your face perfectly. “I know, it’s a lot to take in. And you probably trust Everett more than you trust us. But, you’ll be safer here than with him.”

Above you, Ross cleared his throat. “He’s right,” he admitted, almost painfully. “What I do, it’s dangerous stuff. People get hurt, or worse. And while I’m trying to track down Killmonger… I’m afraid what might happen to you if he caught you again.”

You shuddered at the mere thought of ever seeing that man again. You didn’t think you’d be able to handle it.

“Will… will I see you again?” you asked Ross sheepishly.

His face turned red. “Yeah, yeah, of course I’ll see you again.”

“If we let him cross the border again, that is,” Shuri smiled.

“Oh, come on, you guys love me.”

You admired the way the three of them bantered so freely, with no repercussions for speaking out of turn or saying the wrong thing. You realized right then and there that that’s all you’ve ever wanted.

Suddenly, T’Challa’s open palm was right next to you. Somehow, you weren’t as nervous to climb onto this hand. It was soft and radiated warmth.

“Shuri, I want you to make Lina feel like they’re right at home, okay?” T’Challa commanded. He didn’t need to elaborate for his sister to know exactly what he meant. He gazed down at you and smiled. “For now, little one, let’s get you somewhere that isn’t a giant laboratory.”

“Th-thank you,” you managed. “I… borrowers, we don’t normally–we aren’t supposed to talk to giants. But I never knew… I never knew they could be so kind.”

T’Challa felt a warm feeling bubble up in his chest. “Well, I’m happy to break that stereotype.”

“I promise, we won’t let anything happen to you,” Shuri reassured me, popping into view.

“And if anyone hurts you, I’ll kill them,” Ross said, too serious to be a joke but just humorous enough to make you laugh. He shrugged when Shuri and T’Challa stared at him. “What?”

“Now, if you’re okay with it, I’d really love to ask you some questions,” Shuri said, pulling a tablet off a nearby table. “I’m almost positive all my information about borrowers is horribly wrong.”

T’Challa pulled you close to his chest. You didn’t protest. “Are you alright with that, Lina?”

You didn’t need more than a few seconds to give him an answer.

“Yeah, I’m definitely alright with that.”

#somehow this just turned into a big three-part story???#makes up for all the times i never wrote about black panther #obwrites #marvel g/t #g/t #giant/tiny #giant tiny #sorry if this sucks btw

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taylorsbrennan · 2 years

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my top 10 bones episodes

I watched Bones for the first time last summer and am currently in my third rewatch. I've noticed so many small details I missed the first two times around (thanks to me finishing the show in a month). Each episode is so amazing and has a lot of great moments. I've had a list in my notes of some of my favorite episodes and decided to narrow it down to my top 10. This was a lot harder than I thought because I love each episode for different reasons. Anyway, here's my personal top 10 and reasons why I love them :) (also spoilers obviously)

10. double trouble in the panhandle (season 4, episode 12)

i know undercover eps have mixed opinions, either you love them or you hate them and i love them. the circus one is my favorite of the undercovers and i don't really have a clear reason. i think it's a really fun episode to watch that's so different from the usual setting we see. the costumes were also amazing and Emily looked gorgeous in her final performance outfit (she always looks gorgeous but still). i think it also showed a new layer of how much faith and trust Brennan has in Booth as well as their love for each other that's obvious to everyone but them. this is also Emily's favorite undercover so it made it that much better.

9. the verdict in the story (season 3, episode 13)

first, i love courtroom and legal episodes so this one not only being that but centered around Brennan and Max instantly had me intrigued. it also has such good individual scenes that make me love the episode even more. first, the scene above where Booth and Brennan are talking and Sweets asks about writing a book on them. the way they talk like he's not even there and Brennan's line, "do you likee us?" kills me every time. it also brought the iconic "that's a lot of heart, Bones." when Brennan decides to implicate herself to save Max from prison. even with their complicated relationship, Brennan loves her dad and doesn't want to lose him again. her going this far, proves this and further adds to the layer of her character. the first time i watched this episode, it almost felt like a movie and i couldn't predict whether Max would be found guilty or not. let's not forget about that final hug scene between Brennan and Booth. with Booth being torn between being happy she has her dad but also upset he got away with it, says so much about their relationship as well. and finally, Brennan hugging her dad knowing he's free and they can work on their relationship always makes me cry.

8. aliens in a spaceship (season 2, episode 9)

i know this is a fan-favorite episode and for good reason. it's one of the first times we see members of the Jeffersonian in real danger (minus two bodies in the lab, more on that later) and they're on a time clock. Booth and Brennan are also more comfortable in their relationship at this point so their dynamic in this situation is amazing to see. Hodgins and Brennan having to rely on each other for survival and use their strengths to figure a way out never fails to amaze me. their friendship is also one of my favorites on the show and it's really rooted in their experience in this episode. Hodgins telling Brennan she has faith in Booth is another clear indicator of the deeper feelings she's struggling with. i love seeing them write letters to loved ones (Brennan later revealed to have written to Booth, shows she did love him back in season 2 but just wasn't fully aware or comfortable enough to admit it out loud, yet uses her potentially last, dying words as a confession to him, sobbed the first time i heard it and when rewatching the season with this info) and them saying goodbye to each other when trying to blow themselves out of the car. they know at this point, that either choice of trying or doing nothing will result in their death so they decided to try, and thankfully Booth was there to see. Booth doing his action-hero run down the hill to pull them both out always makes me cry. if it wasn't for both of them being taken together, likely, Booth wouldn't have gotten there to find Brennan alive. it really highlighted each of their strengths and resourcefulness to extend their air supply and fight to escape. i know the gravedigger became a recurring storyline, but i really wish the aftermath of Brennan and Hodgins' coping and healing would have been explored more in the show as i think it really did have a big impact on Brennan no matter how easily she says she can compartmentalize.

7. the man in the fallout shelter (season 1, episode 9)

ahh, the first Christmas episode of bones, i love holiday episodes of shows but this one is especially good. i'll admit on my first watch this one didn't stand out to me a lot but on my second one, i really fell in love with it. this episode is the first time we see the more personal sides of the Jeffersonian team and how they do spending this much time together. we get to see the families of everyone as well as compare their experience to Brennan who she has no one to visit. this is one of the first times we clearly see how isolated and alone Brennan is. the way she wants to spend Christmas is so drastically different than everyone else's. at this time, work really was her entire life and the Jeffersonian was the closest thing she had to family (we obviously know they become her family but this is still season 1 so we'll give it time). i love seeing Booth high and him annoying Brennan because of her persistence in wanting to work on the case. learning that her parents disappeared around Christmas is a new piece in that puzzle and seeing her open the present she held onto all those years is really sweet. i can't remember if this was acknowledged in the show or if i just saw someone point it out online, but after the season 1 finale, we learn Brennan's mom had been in the Jeffersonian the whole time, unidentified. so technically, Brennan did spend Christmas with her mom just in a very different way. sometimes that makes me sad and other times i think it's kinda sweet.

6. the woman in white (season 9, episode 6)

i think this one is pretty obvious why it's in my top 10. Booth and Brennan's relationship build-up is the main reason i watched the show and loved it. they did such a good job with this ep and it's everything i could've ever wanted. Brennan's dress was gorgeous, them only caring that the other was happy, Emily's husband's cameo, and of course the vows. Brennan and Booth's vows were honestly what made the whole episode. their wedding scenes were, of course, gorgeous but the vows were not only true to character, but so sweet, had so many callbacks to early seasons, and really made the 9 seasons wait worth it. starting with Booth's, him remembering that the spot they're getting married at is where she chased him during their first (technically second) case and she called herself a duck. then saying "chasing you is the smartest thing i've done in my life and being chased by you has been my greatest joy" what more could you ask for. it's so true to their character's relationships and the early dynamics of the show. if i heard that on my wedding day i think i'd simply melt. and if you thought it couldn't get any better, then there are Brennan's vows. i always hoped what she wrote in that letter would be revealed but i never thought it would be at her wedding and i'm so glad it was. i was already crying at Booth's vows but hearing hers made me sob like a baby. the full weight of Booth knowing that Brennan was reading what could have been her last words and that they were addressed to him? her being able to acknowledge how happy being with and looking at him makes her and that he "makes her life messy and confusing and unfocused and rational and wonderful" 7 years ago, all the way back in season 2. and the knowledge that since Brennan was rescued she knew she had to find a time to admit those feelings to him. this episode just perfectly connects their relationship over the show and seems like it was made with fans in mind. i love every part of it and it always makes me cry happy tears for them.

5. the doctor in the photo (season 6, episode 9)

wow, this episode. Temperance Brennan is my favorite tv character of all time and i think one of the most complex. this episode proves that with it being so Brennan-centric. it reveals so much about her inner thoughts, how her brain works, and what she really came back hoping for after Maluku. she came back willing to take the risk and be with Booth, but he came back with Hannah. she spent the first 8 episodes trying to convince herself she was fine and it didn't matter, but this case brought everything to surface and she was forced to confront the fact that she had to try. she didn't want any regrets and she knew Booth was who she wanted to be with. Brennan opened herself up to him and let down all her walls in a way she never had before, in the hopes he would reciprocate and want to try. Booth being the guy he is keeps his loyalty to Hannah (as much as this hurts Brennan and viewers, this was the best decision at the time. they still had so much to work through, and the later elevator episode made so much more sense for them) and turns her down. Brennan's reaction, in my opinion, is the rawest and most unfiltered emotion we've ever seen from her. because all her walls were down, she couldn't compartmentalize that rejection as quickly or come to terms with the fact that she missed her chance to be with him. i do wish Booth would have done more here to comfort her but i believe he was also struggling with wanting to be with her but also not wanting to be unfair to Hannah. i do think Booth loved Hannah, but he could never in the same way he loves Brennan and he knew that. now Booth is also aware of Brennan's feelings and that if he were to try again, she wouldn't reject him. Brennan then recovering and saying "i can adjust." always hurts me because she deserved so much more. you can see her again retreating to her old self of never letting anyone in and not trusting anyone. this episode was just so well done and Emily played it beautifully. it's such a big episode for Brennan's character growth, as well as setting up for what happens in episode 16, the blackout in the blizzard. i don't think this episode will never not crush me and it reveals so much about who Brennan is and how she handles situations.

4. the parts of the sum of the whole (season 5, episode 16)

when i first watched this, i was in shock. the revelation that not only had they worked a full case before the pilot, but they were directly flirty, kissed, and had a huge fight? Sweets was me and i was Sweets hearing all of that. i love flashback episodes and this one was full of them. seeing the way they originally interacted with each other and what ended up happening, makes their attitudes in the pilot make so much more sense. that kiss outside the pool house and the implication that she was what stopped Booth from gambling again always kill me. i loved seeing their initial interactions even their argument, because would it really be b&b without a little intensity? now let's talk about what happened outside on the steps. i do love Booth's speech but he should've known her better than to ambush her like that. when i first watched, i thought this is where they finally get together and she takes the risk. watching back, her saying she can't take the risk because she's a scientist is so in character. Brennan obviously has trust and abandonment issues and swore off the idea of traditional relationships and marriage because she never thought she could trust someone in that way or have someone love her that way. Booth has slowly over the years broken all of the walls down, and although she does love him and wants to try, the idea of doing that and it not working out terrifies her. she'd rather have him always as her partner than risk a romantic relationship then it not working out, and end up losing him completely. Booth knows this about her and knows especially with feelings like that, it's important to take it slow and give her time to process. there were better ways he could have slowly introduced the idea to her that would have allowed her to gather the evidence she needed and consider the idea of actually being together. the hurt on each of their faces always gets me because neither is really happy but Brennan is just so scared of losing him. when she asks if they can still be partners, i've seen some people take this as her being selfish. in my mind, it's again because she was terrified of losing him. she turned him down because of that fear but now she's worried that by doing that she's lost him anyway. no matter how much it hurts him, he could never say no either because on some level he does understand her thoughts and reasoning. again this episode is so well done and perfect for the hundredth. the flashbacks were so cute and the ending leaves the question of where their partnership goes next and how they'll move on. it's also so clear how familiar the writers and actors were with the characters because everything was so true to them even if it hurt us as viewers to watch.

a note about my top 3: these episodes are ones that when I first watched them, I could not stop thinking about after. the day after i first watched these i ended up rewatching all of these episodes because of how much they were stuck in my head. even now, i think about them at least twice a week. they altered my brain chemistry at this point and are my most watched episodes (5 times each)

3. the past in the present/ the future in the past (season 7, episode 13/season 8, episode 1)

okay, i know this is technically 2 episodes, but since they are connected and are direct continuations of each other, i'm counting it as 1. i don't think i've ever been more emotionally distraught or stressed watching an episode of Bones as i was the first time i watched these. Pelant took it too far framing Brennan for murder. i don't think we talk enough about how Brennan basically had to abandon Booth, something she swore she would never do, in order to save herself from jail. she also had to rely heavily on her father to keep her and Christine safe from the cops. because if Brennan had been caught, there's no way they would have been able to prove her innocence. She really had to put a lot of trust in Max, something she's had trouble doing since he reentered her life but I think this situation really cements and reestablishes their relationship. Booth having to watch the love of his life drive away with his kid not knowing where they're going or how to keep them safe is so hard because that's how he views his entire role for them. Brennan also having to leave him behind with the same thoughts on top of the risk of jail is devastating. let me also just say, when i started the season 8 episode, i was expecting a mini time jump of a few weeks. when i saw 3 months later flash on the screen, i had to pause and take a moment because i was sobbing. but that reunion scene was everything i could've wanted and more. her also finally being able to come home and have her name cleared was so sweet. seeing everyone, embrace her being back even before she was cleared and their need to protect her fits their found family so well. i was also so thankful to see her brown hair come back haha. i do wish we could have seen a little more of what her life looked like on the run, however, i believe these episodes and storyline are perfect and really had such an impact on Brennan and Booth. this is the best season finale i've seen and i genuinely didn't know how they were going to wrap it up, and still feel the same anxiety each time i watch. i loved it and the effect it has on Brennans character in season 8.

2. two bodies in the lab (season 1, episode 15)

this is the episode that officially had me hooked on Bones so i have a soft spot for it in my heart. after this, I knew i would be watching every episode after and loving it. there are so many good moments in this episode and the entire thing is 10/10. hot-blooded being b&b's song is introduced in this and them dancing together is always so sweet to watch. we also really see Booth's protectiveness over Brennan come out by not letting her out of his site and breaking out of the hospital to save her. backtracking a little, i love when he's trying to interrogate Brennan's date but she is just not having it and is acting like he's not even there. the explosion scene was so unexpected and i always think about what would've happened if it had been Brennan or if Booth hadn't even been there, to begin with. it's also always so tense seeing each of them slowly figure out that it's Kenton and that Brennan is in danger. it's one of the few times i feel like we see Brennan genuinely scared because her and Booth's partnership was so new, she didn't have the faith and trust in him yet as she does in later seasons, for example, aliens in a spaceship. she also had no reason to believe Kenton was dangerous prior so why would Booth even be worried about her or looking for her, not to mention he was also in the hospital. Booth realizing and convincing Hodgins to break him out of the hospital and ignoring all the serious injuries he has just to save her, really sets the groundwork for their whole partnership. her genuine fear combined with him getting there just in time always makes me emotional. and then him comforting her and the way she just falls into his embrace (first time we see them hug ahhh). then when she realizes he's still hurt, her concern is immediately on him. i think the ending scene was also perfect for the episode with her finding a reason to cancel her date in order to spend more time with him in the hospital. overall, this episode is so good for early b&b and sets the tone for their relationship growth.

honorable mentions: the harbringers in the fountain, wannabe in the weeds, blackout in the blizzard, man in the morgue, recluse in the recliner, end in the beginning

1. the shot in the dark (season 8, episode 15)

my all-time favorite episode of bones <3. personally, i think this episode is directly connected to Brennan proposing to Booth in the season 8 finale. first, of course, we had to start with some angst and have Booth and Brennan get into an argument. leading Brennan to go to the lab (her old safe space) and end up being shot. Booth decides he has to see her because he misses her, and finds her passed out and bleeding. his panic and worry for her always gets me and the way it lasts until she wakes up. i love all the soft moments between them of him constantly holding her hand or all the forehead kisses (see above). to me, those are small moments that really show the love he holds for her and that he is her home. now onto Brennan's dream or near-death reality where she has conversations with her mom. i absolutely loved this and think it really explains so much about Brennan's character from the beginning of the series until now. i also loved seeing the mother-daughter interaction. it's revealed that the last words Brennan ever heard from her mom before her disappearance was "use your head. be rational. don’t let your heart lead you. use your brain." Brennan of course held onto that like a lifeline because that's all she had. it leads to her hyper-logical and rational persona. it also meant she kept her distance from deeper relationships with others and lead with her brain over her heart, compartmentalizing over feeling emotions. her mom then gives her new advice, again the last thing before Brennan wakes up from her final surgery. she says "it’s time for you to find some of that little girl that you locked away so deep inside yourself. because, it’s not about surviving anymore. it’s about flourishing. it’s about living a full life.” and i believe, this let Brennan let go of that remaining distance, hesitancy, and fear of all the things little Brennan wanted. she now feels safe to open herself up to marriage and relying on other people instead of her hyper independence. this is what i think leads to Brennan proposing to Booth, something she swore she wouldn't do as recently as the same season. having that interaction with Christine healed the still open wounds from her 15-year-old self and enabled her to take that step. overall, this episode adds a lot to Brennan's character development and is an intense but such good episode to watch. i wish i had a specific reason why it's my favorite, but i just love it so much and think that it's a masterpiece and beautifully told and shown.

that's my ranking :) thanks for reading this far, i know it's long. i would love to hear others thought and opinions on favorite episodes! i have so many list and ranking posts i'd love to do too so if you want more let me know <3

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billygoat26 · 8 months

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AU concept?

I’ve been scared of making an Undertale AU since it’s been so many years since the game released and there’s so many AUs, but in the weeks I’ve been thinking about it (realistically one or two weeks) I have a story planned out! (It includes my oc, Asher- the goofy little guy in my pfp)

OC Name: Asher [REDACTED], His nicknames: Ash (He usually goes by either this or his actual name- Asher.)

AU: Amber!Tale. (An AU I’ve been wanting to make for a good week now but, there being so many AUs, I didn’t want to get accused of stealing an AU I didn’t even know existed lol) Amber!Tale is quite a bit like Undertale, but there is an overall amber color/theme and a few other details that are different. For example, there is no king and/or queen. Asgore and Toriel do still exist, but not in their original roles. For centuries, monster kind lived peacefully on the surface. That is, until the humans came along. There were a few kind souls who helped hide the monsters, but a majority of humanity wanted them gone. They were different, and both sides feared the other. Then, the war happened. Monsters fighting for their home, humans fighting for a new home. As you may know from the original story, monster kind got driven underground, and the barrier was formed to keep them in. Well, this happened in Amber!Tale. As for why it’s called “Amber!Tale,” after the monsters lost the war, (and many lives) they started wearing an Amber color, whether it be a full amber colored outfit or just a small accessory, the majority agreed that they would wear amber in honor of all the brave fighters who gave up their lives in hopes for freedom and peace, for all the amber blood shed. And this is where Asher comes in. 10 years after the war…

Personality: Asher experiences quite a few mood swings, in short. But he is mostly caring for those he’s close to, willing to do anything to make sure they’re safe. He’s an over-thinker (like me!) and can be quite pessimistic when he’s not with friends. At times he can get too deep into his thoughts, and if it gets too bad then they consume him, and it’s difficult to break free from. But I’m getting off track, time for some descriptive words! He’s (positive words): kind, caring, loyal, creative, and he’s (negative): self-criticizing [I’ll make sure to reduce it to a minimal level, if leave it there at all], overthinking, distrusting, stubborn at times, can be a perfectionist.

History: Alright, I’ll try to keep this short. (I failed at this lmao) When the war started, Asher was only 4, and would be turning 5 in a month. A couple weeks into the war, some rogue monsters snuck into the house he was sleeping in at night and took him to a lab. They wanted to study the effects on things like DETERMINATION and BRAVERY (which is actually what the “amber” color represents. The BRAVERY of the monsters.) Throughout the war he was tested on in secret, and he experienced a great deal of pain from the trials. From the trials, he gained some of the abilities of those who have DETERMINATION, such as being able to RESET. His eyes can also glow an orangey-amber color based on how he’s feeling. When he’s not feeling extreme emotions, his eyes remain silver. If he gets really upset, however, there will be red laced in the amber, the amount of red increasing based on how upset he is. Time-skip about 5 years, he celebrated his 10th birthday (because he would have turned 5 one month after the war started, so this was 5 years and a month later) and managed to escape the lab and had to hide out and fend for himself until the war ended, about 2 years later. Now, after almost 12 years of freedom and happiness, he discovered the entrance to the underground, deciding to go in and check it out. (Currently at the age of 22). He was very cautious around all the monsters, despite their kindness. The rest, other than that, plays out very similar to regular Undertale. He makes good friends, and avoids other monsters to the best of his ability. (Papyrus and Toriel being examples of friends and Flowey and Sans being examples of those he avoided. Though Sans he ended up relaxing a bit around because of Papyrus.) As to why he “doesn’t” have a last name, he forgot it.. purposely, in hopes to forget the past with it. That didn’t really work too well, now did it?

#undertale au #I wanted to make an au so I did #original character #Please don’t let this idea already be done #Is it good?

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that-salty-ghost · 1 year

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As Above, So Below | Chapter 24: Date Night Pt 2: Sinking Ship | Viktor [Arcane] // Male Reader | Rating: M Throughout

A/N: I was high af on NyQuil writing half of this and sick with covid the other half so this chapter has ✨personality✨ Word Count: ~5k Summary: Viktor's idea of a good time is a felony Tags: drinking, swearing, crimes, mention of drowning Last Chpt: Date Night Pt 1: Not So Smooth Sailing Check my pinned post for more details/previous chapters/etc.

The two of you pack up as it starts to get dark and follow the river back—catching up about Viktor’s day along with his lack of luck with finding a new work space.

“You’ll find the right one. Do you need a lot of space or something?”

“Not at all, in fact I’d rather sacrifice square footage if it meant I could use more funds for higher grade materials.”

“What kind of materials are you looking for?”

Viktor’s eyes light up as he sorts through his mental checklist. “I’m still developing the blueprints, but so far I know I’ll need titanium and ehh…either charcoal or activated carbon.”

You purse your lips as you look up, gaze unfocused while you run through where you could trade for those goods, especially the last one. “I could help with that if you want? Least I can do if you’re interested in helping me with metalwork?”

“Yes.” His eager smile spreads easily to you. “Yes, I think we’d make a good team.”

“I think so too…Oh! Speaking of work—” You turn your body as you go through one of your holsters, catching Viktor’s attention as you find the goggles and pull them out. “I’m not sure if these are your style, but I thought they might come in handy when you find your lab space.”

You hold them out hesitantly, unsure of what he’ll think of your Piltie-purchased wares. Reading him is tough, his brows furrow in confusion as he takes the goggles from you, eyes softening the more he inspects them.

That’s gotta be a good sign, right?

“Consider it an early housewarming—err—labwarming…present.” You stutter and cringe at yourself as you try to bounce back. “And uh…just a gift for…you…too.”

Fuck’s sakes, just stop talking.

A small smile parts his lips, brows flicking quickly before he looks back up at you. There’s not much distance between you and you swallow nervously when his eyes catch yours.

You open your mouth to speak, but can only inhale sharply when you feel Viktor’s arms around you—pulling you close to his chest as his fingers find purchase across your shoulders. The initial shock of it all causes you to freeze, arms stiff at your sides until you realize what’s happening. Slowly, you move your hands up until you’re wrapped around the small of his back, happily returning his embrace.

His hips are narrower that you were expecting as you your arms enfold him. Steady, measured breaths fill his chest that presses gently against yours, lowering your heart rate with each inhale as your body heat courses through one another.

The way his hair tickles your ear makes you accidentally nuzzle into his neck and you pause, horrified that you’ll scare him off. A soft sound leaves him at the sensation, a mix between a chuckle and a sigh before he leans the side of his head against yours in return, breath warm against your skin as his low whisper sends a shiver through your entire being.

“Thank you.”

You can’t fight the urge to lean in closer to his touch, lips almost grazing his ear as you answer with a breathy “You’re welcome.” A soft grin teases its way onto your face when you feel the muscles in his back tense up, a small display that you’re having the same effect on him as you revel in the way his grip tightens around your shoulders.

When he eventually pulls away, a pitiful noise almost escapes as his warmth leaves you. But the way he drags his hands from your shoulders to your chest heats you right back up. Your mouth remains parted as you watch him trace his fingers along the leather of your holsters.

“This is resourceful.” He states as he studies the tool. “You have any other gifts hiding in here?”

The way his knuckles dip under the strap across your chest causes him to pull you forward just slightly. You feel your head tip up unconsciously as you exhale through your mouth, giving him better access with eyes wide open when you see him notice the subtle movement. He tilts his head down and to the side while his smug grin spreads like wildfire.

Fuck. He knows you’re enjoying this.

“I left your chocolates at home.” You blurt out as your heart thumps from your chest into the back of Viktor’s hand. He cocks a brow and loosens his grip on your holster.

“You…got me chocolates?”

“Uh, accidentally a little. Yeah. They were for my sister…I guess.”

“You have a sister?”

“No.”

“…Oh.”

You bite your knuckle before resting your chin on your fist.

‘STOP. FUCKING. TALKING.’

Viktor licks his lips with a small grin while he allows his fingers to release their hold on the leather strap—seeming to understand that he just short-circuited your brain. “I actually brought you something too.”

“Y—you did?”

“Yes. But I think there’s a better way to enjoy it than what I originally had in mind…”

Your confusion only fuels Viktor’s mischievous expression as he continues walking with you by the river. He starts to better take in his surroundings, scanning the area and then the water. You’ve both gotten pretty far away from the city so you’re not sure what he could be looking for out here.

“I’m intrigued.” You bite your lip as you glance around with him. “What are you doing?”

“Checking to see if the coast is clear. Keep an eye out?”

You turn around to watch the land as he walks down towards the water. “For what? What am I even looking for?”

“People—just make sure no one can see us.”

Surprised and puzzled by his words, your brows rise like the heat rushing from your neck into your ears. Your breath picks up as your imagination runs wild with the possibilities of what this is going to lead to. “What…don’t we want them to see?”

“This.”

The sound of water sloshing disrupts the quiet and you turn to find Viktor tugging a small boat closer to the dock. Your eyes widen as you take in the sight, your jaw slack in disbelief.

“What do you mean this, what are you doing?!” You half whisper, half yell while he looks completely at ease committing grand theft auto.

“Seeing where the night takes us!” Viktor half whispers, half shouts back as he shrugs his pack into the boat. “You said that sounded good!”

“I thought that meant getting a cheap room at an inn, not committing a felony!”

“A cheap room?” There’s a definite stillness in the air now. He looks over at you and your face turns red when you see a sly grin cross his lips. “For what?”

“…Talking.”

“Mm.” His brows cock as he tips his head up, clearly not buying it before humming again. “Mmhm.” He nods and glances back at the vessel, almost looking like he’s considering your option anyway…until he throws his cane into the boat.

“Oops. Now I have no choice.”

“Oops, my ass!” There’s not much you can do as you watch Viktor crouch down to get into the boat. The sound of him laughing quietly fills the air as you start to jog over to get into the goddamned thing with him.

After Viktor helps you climb in, you dig your feet into the dock and push off—sending you out a small distance until he hands you one of the paddles. “Have you done this before?” You ask as you take the wooden oar from him.

“Theft or rowing?”

“…How about both?”

“I’ve never rowed a boat before.” He shifts his gaze towards your arms as he puts his paddle in the water, keeping time with your strokes on the other side. “But we seem to be doing quite well, don’t you think?”

You contemplate the way he answered that question and your eyes widen at the man sitting across from you with a lopsided grin. “WHAT ELSE HAVE YOU STOLEN, VIKTOR?!”

“Shhh—hhfff—shh!” He can’t finish his attempt to quiet you as his shushing sounds get caught up into laughter while you yell at him. He’s unable to keep a straight face as he tries to bring a finger to his lips, making you laugh as well until you’re both cracking up at how ridiculous this entire situation is.

The two of you ease into paddling further out on the river and you finally settle down once you realize no one is missing this boat right now. Once you’re a good distance out from the shore, you both pull the oars back into the vessel so you can sit and drift for a while.

You catch Viktor rolling his wrist and your eyes lock momentarily, but neither of you speak about it. Instead, he moves to go through in his pack with a huff, sounding frustrated when you hear him mumble “It got dark so fast…”

“I think this is a fishing boat…” You start before you feel around under your seat, switching to Viktor’s when you come up empty. “There’s gotta be someth—here we go!” You pull a lantern out from under him along with a small box of waterproof matches.

Once lit, Viktor’s eyes are the first thing you notice. A mix of appreciation and admiration of your quick work that he verbalizes with a soft “Well done.” before he finally finds a couple of tin cups to hand over to you. “Precursors to your gift, as promised.”

“I like where this is going.” You grin as he digs deeper until he brandishes a green-tinted bottle. “Ooh. I love where this is going…is—is that gin?”

“Your favorite, right?”

“Yeah…how’d you—”

“Remy told me.” He holds his hand out, asking for one of the cups and starts to pour the liquor for you.

“Remy tells you my favorite drink, Landon tells you about my cooking habits…” Viktor doesn’t look up—only flashes a wily grin at your accusation.

“You heard about that, eh?” His smile softens as he hands off the now full cup, you trade him for the empty one so he can pour himself one as well.

“Did you know they put bets on us going out?”

He looks up with his brows raised and shakes his head, seemingly still amused. “No, but I imagine Landon won.”

“He did. Free brunch.” Lazily, you swirl the liquor in your cup as the lantern’s dim light highlights the edges of Viktor’s high cheekbones. Your gaze shifts to the water to distract your urge to trace his jawline with your fingertips.

“High stakes to be sure.” He goes to cork the glass until you notice how full it is.

“That a new bottle?” You nod at the gin and Viktor pauses, glancing at the drink then back to you.

“Yes…why?”

“We have this tradition-turned-ghost-story where if you don’t pour one out from a new bottle, it’s bad luck.”

“Are you superstitious?” His eyes flicker playfully under the light of small flame, catching the flecks of gold and amber in his irises and only furthering the certainty in your voice.

“I know my father’s ghost would have no qualms capsizing the fuck out of this boat given the opportunity.”

“So, we pour one out not in memoriam, but to appease your father’s spirit?”

“Angry spirit. He died mad at me.” You raise your brows towards the bottle and dip your head down. “Unless you wanna test our luck even further tonight.”

“No. No, I don’t want that.” He chuckles, tipping the bottle over the edge of the boat until the liquid meets the water with a small trickle. He looks over the side and pulls the gin back, corking it as he watches the water. “I hope I didn’t just kill a school of fish with that.”

“Pour one out for them too.”

Viktor’s eyes go wide as he slowly turns his head towards you, fraught with both disbelief and good humor.

“Sorry, cheers.” You tip your cup to his, making him shift his gaze to his drink and break his disturbed expression when a breathy laugh leaves him.

“Yes, cheers.”

A small “Mm.” escapes you as the cold drink sends liquid heat down your chest. Your eyes fall shut as you enjoy how notes of juniper and coriander flood your senses. He brought really good gin.

“I hope that was a sound of approval?”

“More than approval, this is divine.”

“Mm…that’s good to know.”

His voice dips, sultry and smooth like the liquor lingering on your palate. You struggle to believe that he’s referring to the quality of the gin and open your eyes to find him looking completely content.

“Wh—what’s good to know?”

Viktor takes a sip, eyeing you carefully with a slow arch of his brows and equally slow shrug of his shoulders.

His silence leaves just enough room for interpretation to drive you mad and your hesitance to respond is met with a change in subject. “Is this your first time on a boat?”

“…Yes.” You answer through a held breath. “Is this your first act of piracy?”

“It’s not piracy if we’re borrowing it.”

“Sounds like something a pirate would say.”

Hours pass like minutes as you both float with the current. Formalities fall away as cups are traded for the two of you taking swigs straight from the bottle in between your laughter and lighthearted conversations.

Viktor spreads out bit by bit as the night goes on—one leg stretching on the outside of yours, slightly bumping against your calf when he laughs or moves to hand off the gin. You’re not sure if he notices or is aware of the contact, but you’re not complaining in the slightest.

You sit comfortably with your elbows perched on your knees, leaning forward to offer him the bottle and briefly exchanging glances when your fingertips brush against one another’s.

His arm leans casually on the side of the boat, tipping and rolling the bottle around as both of you muse over designing a robot that could help with all of Runterra’s problems.

…Sort of.

“Like a drinking buddy that wouldn’t let us get too blitzed like last time…and could crank up that boat for us too.” Your aspirations are nothing shy of a hot mess right now.

“I’m proposing something along the lines of a golem that provides more of an environmental impact with the capacity to rebui—”

“Blitzcrank.”

“What?”

You don’t mean to cut him off, but your filter is starting to wane with each pass of the liquor bottle. “That’s what I would name him. A responsible drinking buddy that help cranks the boat.”

“Blitzcrank.” Viktor chuckles softly before arching a brow with a tilt of his head. “I’ll have to keep that in mind.” He takes a small sip, holding eye contact with you before leaning forward to pass the bottle back. “We could probably use him right now.”

“Hah. Maybe so.”

A breeze picks up and the corner of your mouth curls when Viktor’s hair gets swept up in it. Nimble fingers weave through dark locks, pushing them back out of his eyes that study you so meticulously.

It doesn’t take long for you to get lost in the haze of his golden-amber while he watches the way your lower lip rests against the mouth of the bottle. Gaze flipping eagerly to your Adam’s apple when you swallow and back to your eyes when you offer the drink back.

“Not to be a…y’know, bartender…but your eyes sort of remind me of whiskey.”

Viktor pauses, seemingly surprised by your observation when he picks up the gin. “Is that so?” Curiosity plagues his grin as his lips graze the mouth of the bottle when he speaks.

You nod slowly, watching him carefully as you become increasingly more envious of the bottle he’s sipping from.

“What kind of whiskey?”

He holds onto the gin and leans forward as you study his irises, a perfect blend of cloudy and bright as the effects of alcohol feud with his desire for more details.

“For the color…I’d say a bourbon.” When you tilt your head to get a better look, the fire from the lantern dances frantically with gilded gold, shifting your standpoint just slightly. “Mm…one with honey in it.” You conclude, pleased when you see color begin to warm his cheeks.

You watch as he fidgets with the bottle, expression inquisitive while he takes in your every word as you continue. “But the intensity—”

Your attention shifts when you look down to find his knee is now pressed just inside of your own, the bottle dangling lazily in his grip as he lifts it up for you. When his fingers brush yours he lets them remain for a second longer while his eyes burn wildly under heavy brows.

“Intensity?” He smirks playfully, rolling his thumb over your fingertips that immediately shoots fire up your arm before letting go. You bite your lip trying to hang onto your composure before he encourages you to continue. “Go on…”

He watches you with interest as you cork and set the bottle down, even though you’re mentally clinging to it for the rest of your courage as the conversation becomes less and less about whiskey.

“The intensity is more like a rye...” Silence fills the air, making it impossible to not feel your heart pounding in your ears while he considers that comparison.

Viktor leans further towards you, head slightly tilted down as his words drip low and slow. “What makes rye so much more…” A subtle grin barely parts his lips, eyes scanning you up and down quickly before he finishes his question. “Mm…intense?”

You swallow your nerves as you start to move closer—his leg now nested in between yours while he rests his hand on the inside of your knee. Fingertips beckoning you towards him one-by-one, inch-by-inch with the lightest touch as they slowly tug and trail along your leg.

“It was the first drink we had together—you don’t remember?” You grin, thinking about how his eyes fell shut while he basked in the heat of the sage-infused rye you shared at The Last Drop.

His own grin grows slyer by the second. You feel his fingers spread out on your leg and you inhale sharply. When you catch Viktor licking his lips, the corner of your mouth quirks up as you take the subtle cue to lean even closer.

“Hmm…remind me.” His tone teases as he slides his hand just slightly higher, feather-light touches slowly undoing you with each passing second.

“You just wanna to hear me say it.”

It comes out as a sigh as slender fingers trail back down your leg. Your lips remain parted as you watch how his hand moves along your thigh before glancing back up when he responds.

“Yes, I do.”

His answer matches the same breathiness as yours when you trail your fingers over the back of his hand, testing to see if you could have the same impact on him, smiling wider when you find that you do.

When his eyes lock with yours, you feel heat surge and scorch through every fiber in your being; in your hands, your chest, all the way down, everywhere. Solidifying the very sensation that you attempt to explain even though your heart all but stops when you see him reflexively look at your lips.

“The intensity is the heat. The fire that follows each sip.” You pause before switching your wording. “The fire…that courses through me with the smallest glance. It bur—...you burn me up entirely.”

Gleaming gold becomes as heavy as lead under brows that rise slowly with each word. An inhale through his mouth replacing any thought he was about to convey, his actions speaking for him instead.

Slowly, meticulously. Viktor moves his hand to your cheek, the rough pad of his thumb leisurely tracing the thin scar there while his fingers splay against your neck. The cold breeze that has been biting at your face immediately subsides as you revel in soothing contact from calloused hands.

You sigh quietly as you begin to let your guard down. Walls you’ve built over the years crumbling to pieces within mere moments. Expression softening as you timidly turn your head into his touch, lightly pressing your lips to the bottom of his palm and enjoying the small gasp that escapes him.

Viktor doesn’t take his eyes off of you while you softly press another small kiss to his inner wrist, his gaze clouded and lips parted all the while. “Do you…know why I stole this boat tonight?” He manages to breathe out.

You smirk against his skin, lower lip barely brushing against him as you answer. “You have a moral deficiency?”

“Other than that.” With a smug grin of his own, Viktor carefully drags his thumb down your cheek until he slowly tugs at your bottom lip—parting it gently, testing the waters and drinking in your reactions.

The similarities are uncanny and for a moment you’re brought back to the dream you had about him—the way he dragged your lips open slowly before asking if you wanted to take him in entirely. The way he filled your mouth completely when you were on your knees for him.

Your heart rate quickens and you fight every fiber in your being to not think about the way his voice dipped when he called you a ‘good boy’.

…Or think about what it would sound like if he said it now.

You’re snapped back into reality when he curls his fingers under your chin, tentatively using the side of his index to tip your head up towards him. The very touch you envied—craved when he was inspecting the tobacco plant—was even more intoxicating than you had thought possible.

The way his gaze remains as warm and calculated as the hand that’s holding you.

The switch of his focus back and forth from your eyes to your lips.

The subtle twitch of muscle in his leg against yours when you wet your lips and accidentally graze his thumb with the tip of your tongue.

It’s all too much.

Eyelids fall heavy and breathing becomes labored. His ragged breaths meet yours in small huffs that fog the air. Air that grows thick with anticipation when you hear Viktor shift in his seat to lean forward, tilting his head to the side as he pulls you closer to him.

You move your weight forward to reach across and rest your hand on his hip. The boat wobbles at the sudden imbalance and you feel Viktor’s other hand grab onto to your holster to hold you steady.

A second passes as you regain your balance.

Another when you look down to find deft fingers clutching onto the leather across your chest.

Then time stops completely.

You’re not sure who moved first. If it was Viktor pulling you onto him by your holster, or if it was you nudging his legs apart so you could close the gap and kiss him.

It didn’t matter.

What mattered was for a moment, you both believed that physics could wait…when it absolutely couldn’t.

The boat rocks violently with your quick movements, knocking you both off balance and backwards onto the floor before hosing you down with freezing river water that sloshes over the side.

The two of you groan for all the wrong reasons as all of the heat that has built up is completely doused. Drenched clothing becomes icy in an instant, sending chills throughout your entire body as the temperature outside drops more and more with each gust of wind.

When you look over to Viktor, he’s no better off than you as he attempts to wring out the bottom of his jacket.

“I’m sorry—” “—didn’t mean to—”

“What were y—” “Sorry wha—”

You fumble around with incomplete thoughts as you pull yourselves up off the floor, carefully trying to keep the small vessel from thrashing around with each movement.

“We should ehh…” Viktor reaches for a paddle and holds it out for you. “…probably get back to land, yes?”

“Oh uh—” While it made sense given the temperature, part of you was still reeling from what had just transpired and your stomach drops a little while you wonder if you just ruined the rest of the night. “Yeah…yeah. Good call.” You take the oar from him and look at the buildings around you. “You uhh…have any idea where we are?”

Viktor places his paddle in the water and starts to row with you. “Actually…no I don’t.”

The ride back is quiet, unnervingly quiet. Your thoughts spiral with confusion and frustration as you try to understand your current situation.

‘He looked like he wanted to…like he was going to…’

You bite your lip thinking about what it would’ve felt like to kiss him had you not dunked him like a demi-god in the River Pilt.

Subtly, you try to sneak a glance up at Viktor as you paddle, trying to read him if possible. However, his focus is fixed on trying to recognize the buildings around you—likely looking for another dock which only furthers your inner turmoil.

‘…But then again, I practically tackled him. How the fuck did that even happen? He probably thinks I’m some desperate, touch-starved, sex-crazed, fiend now. Maybe that’s why he isn’t looking up or talking to me right now…’

The mind can be an amazing thing when an embarrassing moment is followed by over 15 minutes of silence. By the time you make it to a new dock you’ve all but convinced yourself that you’ve probably fucked up this night to the point of no return.

Viktor gets out first and you hand him his backpack before moving to stand up. He holds his hand out and you hand him the bottle.

“Not the gin, give me your hand.” He whispers with a small smile. As tempting as his help is, you can’t bring yourself to touch him again after everything you just put him through.

“Save the gin, I’ll be fine.”

“The gin is the reason we’re not fine.” You hear him grunt under his breath before reluctantly taking the bottle.

You move to step onto the dock and have never regretted drinking more in your entire life.

He’s right. The gin is definitely the reason that you are not fine.

Once you stand you lose your footing—causing the boat to rock, for you to overcorrect, and for recovery to be futile as the entire cosmos spins ruthlessly around you.

Not only do you fall in, but you take the entire boat with you as it flips over.

The chill of the water causes your muscles to tighten but otherwise the steady descent downwards is peaceful. For a moment you consider allowing yourself to drown after you turn your head to see the boat sinking next to you.

Something about the captain goes down with his ship, right? But in reality, you didn’t want to resurface and face Viktor after this.

After all of this.

While you contemplate how the fuck your barely drunk ass is sinking in the river, you can make out a muffled sound of screaming from above the surface and look up. It almost sounds like your name.

…oh shit it is your name.

Viktor is shouting for you.

You look back over as the boat continues to drop deeper and begrudgingly decide not to join it in this half-frozen hellscape as you start to swim back up to the surface.

When you pop your head up you see Viktor looking completely panicked…and half naked. His shirt and jacket are dropped haphazardly across the dock and you notice his pants are unzipped as well.

If you weren’t freezing your balls off you would’ve looked longer, but swimming up to the dock and pulling yourself up out of the freezing cold water unfortunately took precedent.

“What’s w—with the wardrobe malfunction, you trying to go s—ss—skinny dipping?” Slender hands grab ahold of your torso to help hoist you up out of the water until you flop onto the dock with a wet thud.

“I thought you got stuck under the boat and couldn’t get out.” Viktor’s uneven breathing catches, hissing when some of the water comes off of you and onto his bare chest.

“You were going to jump in after—?” You start to roll onto your side to look at him but he cuts you off as hurries to throw his shirt back on.

“We need to go. Especially now that our petty theft has escalated into…” Viktor’s brows raise slowly as bubbles gurgle up. Audible evidence of the boat is finding its way to the bottom of the river. “Ehh…full-on vandalism.”

“Not to mention the impending hypothermia.” You strain a response while you push yourself up off of the dock and he finishes getting dressed.

“Let’s find some shelter so that doesn’t happen, yes?” Viktor hands the gin back over to you with an apologetic look. “Maybe the boat wasn’t a better way to enjoy this after all...”

You glance at the bottle before taking it from him, shaking your head and grinning when you look back up. “I disagree. That was the most fun I’ve had in years.”

Viktor’s voice comes out smaller than usual behind a coy smile. His demeanor almost timid when he picks his eyes back up to meet yours before answering.

“Me too.”

The temperature drops more and more while you both try to figure out where you are in the undercity. You’re grateful Viktor still had your jacket in his pack and manage to ditch your shirt for one dry layer, but it’s not doing much—you’re freezing and need to get out of the cold.

You continue to take swigs out of the bottle to stay warm until Viktor manages to find an inn. He glances at you over his shoulder with a small smirk.

“I guess you’ll get that cheap room you wanted after all.”

You had hoped that he forgot about that comment earlier, but still chuckle when you make your way to the door with him.

“I uh…I didn’t mean for that to come across that way.” You try to cover your tracks to avoid embarrassment and take one last sip of your liquid courage, nearly choking on it when he answers.

“Ah. That’s a shame.” Viktor turns his head as he walks inside, revealing a clever grin while he holds the door for you as you follow. “I was looking forward to talking with you.”

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A/N: Date night is officially 3 parts now because I'm a monster ;_;

But hopefully this was a good one and read okay despite all the altered mental states ayyeee. Next chapter will have some warnings, not starting off super crazy but it will likely be 18+ again so I'm excited to dip back into that style :)

The next update will not take this long again, should be back to 1-2 week updates again as long as my life doesn't explode again :'D

#viktor x reader #viktor arcane x reader #viktor fanfiction #arcane fanfic #viktor arcane #viktor #that salty ghost fic #as above so below fic

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ripdragonbeans · 1 year

Text

On Monday (Take 2) ~INTRO~

Modern!Aemond x femReader

Reader and Helaena are BFFs

Summary: You and Heleana head over to her place to work on a philosophy project only for you to be thrown into a little matchmaking via Helaena.

Second shot at On Monday, also in a completely new direction compared to the first one. I really want to finish out the rest of the song, mainly because it’s a cute song and the guy in it is absolutely Aemond coded lol.

No Warnings for this one, maybe except my questionable writing style/format

Mainly set up stuff so there’s only a bit of Aemond at the end.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hel, wait up!" You laughed as you ran after your friend.

"No, you can catch up!" Called back Helaena.

Helaena had found a moat beautiful sunset moth and was absolutely dead set on catching it, if even for just a little bit. She finally slowed down to creep closer to the moth and crouched down to admire it. You caught up to her but kept your distance knowing that your harsh breathing would probably scare the creature away. Helaena gently guided the moth to her hand and brought the small one up to you.

"Look at her! Isn't she just beautiful?" Helaena wondered out loud. "All her colors, her little fuzz, everything."

You leaned down towards the creature and smiled. "Yes, Hel. She's absolutely gorgeous."

Helaena smiled at you before gently releasing the beautiful sunset moth. She gazed up at it, almost in a daze, when she remembered that you were with her as well.

"Shoot, Y/N it's getting late and we gotta finish that project!" Helaena cocked her head and gently tapped her it trying to figure something out.

The sky was slowly getting becoming a purple orange as the sun began to set.

"Why don't you just spend the night at my apartment? That way we can still hang out and actually get some work done."

You laughed at her little joke. "Of course! Let's get going."

The two of you linked arms as you made your way off campus and to her apartment. Despite being friends since freshman year, you've never actually been to her apartment before. Helaena told you she just preferred to be on campus basking in the sunlight and hanging in the quad with her friends. As an entomology major it did help to be on campus more often for the labs she frequently had to do.

As you two walked, you talked about everything and nothing at all. Pretty soon you looked up and saw the apartment, a fairly big apartment. Your mouth fell open in amazement. Everything was so sleek and modern, and that was just the exterior.

You felt a slight pull on your arm. "Come on, girl! I know it's a bit intimidating, and if it makes you feel better I miss living in my childhood home. Way more plants and much more inviting, if you ask me, but I promise you the inside is really chill." Helaena shook her head slightly and chucked.

"Well, as chill as it can be living with my two brothers. They can get a little…heated at times but I think you’d get along with Aemond,” giving you a knowing glance.

"Oh, I didn't know you had brothers! I mean, I knew you had brothers but I didn't know you lived with them," you squeezed out.

You deliberately ignored her suggestion of her brother to you.

It wasn't a lie. You knew Helaena had brothers but you had no idea what they looked like and absolutely didn't know that they shared her apartment as well. They were simply little thoughts that have never been important enough to question and bring to life until now. Well, at least one of them was. All you ever really heard about in a positive way was Aemond. He piqued your interest, even if you only knew him as Helaena’s brother.

Helaena tugged your arm a little harder, giving you no choice but to follow her. As you neared the door you couldn’t help but take in every little detail. The delicate carvings on the walls created a beautiful texture that shone brightly against the dark grey paneling. Before Helaena could unlock the door it opened up to reveal the same silver blond hair as Helaena’s.

The guy looked you up and down with no shame and no attempt to hide his action. A mischievous smile tugged at his lips.

“Well, hello there,” he drawled.

“Hey, Aegon! This is my friend Y/N and she’s gonna be spending the night with us. We have a project to work on so don’t mind us,” Helaena explained.

“Spending the night, huh?” Aegon’s smile has definitely made his way to his face now. “I’ll be around, don’t hesitate to call me if you want some more…company.”

Aegon gave you a little wink before moving out of the doorway to let you two in. He gave you sneaky vibes, like someone you know would get the both of you in trouble if you decided to become friends with him. Aegon looked like he was on a prowl and his wink and smile solidified that assumption.

As you walked through the threshold, your breath got caught in your throat yet again. The exterior of the apartment was stunning and the interior was no less beautiful. Unlike outside, everything inside the apartment seemed to hold a story, some old and some new. Pictures decorated the wall along with what looked like religious icons and stars.

You could hear some noise coming from a room nearby and you were a little relieved when Helaena led you that way. You met the first brother and were now nervous about the second. Helaena has been suggestive about you and her brother getting to know each other better, maybe something even more than that. Your hands felt a little clammy as you entered the living room. The Planet Suite played softly in the back.

Helaena called out to her second brother. “Aemond? I know you’re here. I want you to meet my friend, Y/N!”

Soon enough, a tall, lanky body stepped out of the hallway, looking a little annoyed but softened at the sight of his sister.

“Yeah, Hel?” Aemond asked as he leaned against the wall.

“Just wanted to introduce you to Y/N! She’ll be staying the night and I just wanted to let you know,” she smiled at her brother.

Aemond looked at you and you felt your heart quicken. He was beautiful. He had a violet eye and what looked like a shining blue gem in place of the other with an aggressive scar passing through it. His silver hair was pulled up in a half bun while the rest of his hair cascaded to his shoulders. Aemond’s good eye scanned your body, similar to the way Aegon had done before but in a gentler way. He didn’t seem hungry.

“Well, make yourself at home, Y/N. I’m going to be working on an essay here if you and Hel are going to hang out in her room.”

“No! Stay here, Aemond!” Helaena stopped him before he could turn back to get his things from his room.

You looked at your friend, pretending to be confused as to why she was asking him to stay. Helaena was trying to put a plan in motion and you were both dreading and looking forward to it.

“Helaena, if he was work to do we should leave him alone,” you half whispered to her. Part of you didn’t want him to stay, nervous about what could potentially happen if he did. But at the same time you were curious and wanted to venture into this situation that your friend has obviously planned out in her head.

“Y/N, we’re going to want his help.”

Aemond’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “My help? My sister and her friend needs my help for what?”

You quickly explained what was going on. “We’re just working on a little philosophy project as well, it’s no big deal. You can work and we’ll leave you alone.” Your heart beat a little faster when you locked eyes with him and made fast work to break it.

“Aemond is a philosophy major, and it would be really useful to have him around while we did this,” Healaena all but pleaded. “If it has to do with philosophy then I can help. And if you have Dr. Greyjoy you’re going to want my help,” Aemond simply stated his fact and immediately left to gather his materials.

While he was gone you gave Helaena a desperate look and groaned. She gave you an uncharacteristic sly smile.

“Oh, give him a chance, Y/N! You need something else in your life besides academics and so does he. It’s a perfect match. Would you rather I try to push you towards Aegon?” She questioned.

“Please, no, not Aegon. He already looked at me like I was his next meal.” You chuckled and took a deep breath. “Okay, I put my trust in you, Hel. But know that if he breaks my heart, you’re going to have to be the one who takes care of me for a few days.”

Helaena squealed. “Yes! Oh, I’m so excited!”

“Excited about what, Hel?” Aemond had come back into the room looking amused at his sister.

“Nothing, nothing! Let’s just get this project started!”

Aemond gave a small chuckle as he plopped down on the couch and you hesitantly took the love seat across from him. Aemond layed out all his books and notes and smiled up at you as Helaena took the seat next to him giving you the biggest smile while flicking her eyes between you and her brother.

“So, let’s see how you guys are faring, shall we?”

#aemond x reader #modern!aemond #hotd #hotd fanfic #modernaemond x reader

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wc100playlist · 2 months

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4. Plain White T's - Hey There, Delilah

It's 2:23AM and I'm pacing through my father's living room, phone in hand, my eyes bleary. In less than a month, I'll be off to University, where I'll discover how easy it is to stay up for days on end when motivated by caffeine and the rhythm of youth, but for now, I'm nearing my limit. I feel a psychic pull from the room on the right at the end of the hallway wherein lieth my bed with bated breath, brimming with dreams at the thought of my return to it. The tug towards it is terrible, and soon my murky mind turns me to follow it.

buzz

A cartoon ghost rings the doorbell to my phone. I blind myself by blue light to see that yes, it is her. Specifically, it's her hand in a peace sign and a bar of text saying, "He'll probably just text back tomorrow. I'm sleepy. Goodnight." I send black screen with a cursive "Good Night Calypso," which she opens immediately. That empty red arrow sends a shiver up my arm and a realize that sleep won't be so easy a thing tonight.

______________________________________________________________

According to various articles and my personal brand of hearsay, Tom Higgenson wrote "Hey There Delilah" after having a meet-not-so-cute with Delilah DiCrescenzo, a now-nationally-ranked runner, at a friend's party. Apparently, Tom told her he already had a song written about her, and played the track for her the week thereafter. Delilah, having a boyfriend, politely declined his advances. The two remained friendly enough that, when "Hey There Delilah" was nominated for a Grammy in 2007, Delilah herself put in an appearance on Tom's invitation. To my knowledge, their association ends there.

______________________________________________________________

I met her at the tail end of orientation. She was sitting on a rock outside the student union building. She wore bell-bottoms and a hippie T--at least, she does in my head. So many details slip like sand through my fingers and out of my ears, details I I could have sworn would be burned into my mind forever. It is, perhaps, my chiefest regret to not remember fully the scenes that shape the landscape where my soul treads.

I almost walked past her. She had been in the small group of Liberal Arts students in a computer lab ten minutes previous, and something in the way she spoke to the admissions counselor about her planned courses irked me. Unfortunately, I think that's why I found myself talking to her. She scared me, otherwise: she looked like she could look me in the eye and pick out my flaws like a stork plucks salmon from a river. That little touch of roughness at her edges unwound a binding in my brain and let me be bold in a way only fool boys can be--that is, in the smallest way. I said, "Hello."

For the rest of the summer, we carried on the conversation that we started at the rock. I called her Calypso. I'd steal moments during work to shoot off what I hoped was a clever quip; she'd send pictures of her shoes and make wild statements about her day. We'd skip from "how was your shift?" to "what makes you cry?" to "what's you're comfort food?" in about as many texts. I still remember some of her answers, though I expect they've changed since then. Mine have.

Often, we'd stay up late texting. She's an early riser, but her boyfriend at the time rarely responded in daylight hours. I tried to keep her company while she waited, and she didn't turn me away. She considered us friends, and did for a long while, even after our Freshman year started, even after she got to know me in person, even after I told her--via Snapchat video messages, the worst way known to man--that I'd been head-over-heels for her since that damn rock outside the union, even after she had to turn me down. She even managed to look past me asking her to turn me down again twice thereafter, as a reminder of where we stood.

I don't know if we were friends. I don't know if I'm capable of being friends with someone I can't look at without my heart rate rising ten percent. It's not for lack of trying: I gave it a three year run. If I was her friend, I think I'd have let myself drift away much earlier. That might have saved me some heartache, or at least some face. It might have saved our mutuals exasperation, and her the stress of dealing a dumb puppy of a man who lacks the courage and wit to make his exit when the music plays.

I last spoke to her in the Fall of 2022. We walked in the state lands with her dog and said a great many things that matter very little. A better send-off than I expected, honestly. I last saw her Fall 2023; she and her fiance attended the same showing of a stage play as I--a cruel joke by Dionysus on his least faithful priest. I can only hope she didn't see me, or if she did, she didn't recognize me. If she saw me, I hope she only saw a stranger trying not to cry.

#hey there delilah #music #creative nonfiction

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arieschaos · 1 year

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Chapter 3: Rory Mars

Nova grunted around her cigarette, feeling her seldom-used comm-contraption buzzing in her pocket.

“One sec.” she mumbled at the doe-eyed barmaid she’d been flirting with and plugged the small, wireless receiver into her ear. She didn’t need to check who was calling, only one person in the galaxy had her contact details, “Wassup, Stel?”

“Small change of plans,” she started, and Nova rolled her eyes - Stella’s plan changes were never small. She continued, “The team at the Gitera labs were a little too efficient with my order, so I’ve had to hire someone else to escort the package back here. Which means I’m in no hurry to have you back in New London, and–”

“So I can take that gig with Cecil?”

There was a small pause from Stella and it made Nova wince and apologise immediately, “Sorry, shouldn’a interrupted.” she felt her shoulders tense as if Stella were standing right behind her and giving her that scolding look she knew would be currently dipping Stella’s brow.

“...Yes, you will be able to take your job with Cecil. Will I perchance be permitted to see a show, finally?”

It was Nova’s turn to frown as she took a deep drag from her cigarette and exhaled a plume of bluish smoke into the already smoggy night air, “Not your kind of scene, Stel. And I don’t like not being able to watch your back in those kinds of crowds.”

Stella huffed a small ‘hrmm’ and her voice lightened a little too much to be genuine, “Fine. Another time, perhaps. Do you have an update on retrieving the discontinued product?”

Nova grunted again, throwing her cigarette butt to the floor and stamping it out, stepping away from the nightclub to avoid being overheard, “Got the remaining stock from Astea, that was no issue. Markesh was a cake walk, guy was glad to give it over. Guys here on Tortuga are another level of stubborn. Gonna need to be a lot more... persuasive.”

Unphased by the threatening tone, Stella continued, so prim and put together, “Very well, do whatever you feel is necessary. I trust you. Just remember - don’t damage the containers. At least, not yet.”

Nova’s jaw tensed to keep her from biting back that she didn’t need to be told a twentieth time, “Because they need ‘specialised disposal’, I remember.”

“Nova, I’m serious!” The scold was back, “Those narcotics in that quantity and with no instruction for care or storage are a potential chemical weapon. They cannot be just thrown away or airlocked lest they fall into the wrong hands all over again. A simple furnace would definitely turn them into a weapon, you remember the plan we agreed on?”

If she had a chit for every time she’d recited this plan; “After I’ve collected all the remaining stock, I head for the nearest asteroid, enviro-suit up and unleash hybrid hell on it all, till there’s nothing but ash and a stained crater.”

She pulled another cigarette from the pack in her pocket and mumbled as she lit it, “still dunno why I got use up all my energy ‘stead o’ just throw the shit into an exploding star or something.”

“That’s far too dangerous!” Stella sounded horrified at the idea, “Promise me you won’t be so reckless with your own life just for this task!”

“Alright, shit, I promise,” Nova cowered a little again, hating the sound of her one friend so upset, “You got nothing to worry about. I’ll call when it’s all done, and I’ll be checking in while I’m touring with Cecil, kay? Dunno where he wants to go but he said it’s almost 2 months of back to back gigs.”

“2 months? That’s the longest time you’ve been away.”

“I know, I’m sorry.” She felt a pang of guilt, hoping Stel wouldn’t have realised the longer gap between visits, “I’ll check in as often as I can, vid calls, not just voice, and if we pass by close enough, I’ll stop by the lab. Wanna make sure you’re doing okay.”

“I appreciate the concern, dear.” Her tone was much softer now and it made Nova’s chest feel lighter, “I honestly don’t think that little gang are too much of a threat. At least, nothing a little hired muscle can’t handle.”

A commotion back in the direction of the nightclub had Nova’s eyes narrowing and scanning the crowd. She snarled, hating the interruption; no wonder it always got Stel so irritated.

“I gotta go. Our guy’s making a move.” She couldn’t wait for a response, taking out the earpiece and shoving it back into her pocket, letting her cigarette fall to the ground as she tore off after the dealer she’d been staking out all weekend. He set off in a sprint the moment his eyes found hers, clearly she’d gotten sloppy in her growing impatience- but now that she had permission from Stel to do things, at least this side of things, her way.

She chased him until the crowds thinned and he tried to lose her in the narrow side allies, but it just made him slow his pace, and gave her the cover needed to really get near him.

With barely a thought, her energy wrapped around her, red-orange strings of light across her skin, giving her the boost she needed to surge forward and grab him by the shoulders. The orange strands gripped onto his jacket like spider web as she pushed him against the wall.

“Nice try, asshole. Gonna need to try a little harder to shake a gal like me.”

There was fear in his eyes but he tried to harden his tone, a note of disgust laced into his words, “Why all the hot chicks gotta be crazy fuckin’ hybrid rats? What do you–” she grabbed him by the throat and hoisted him against the wall, snarling.

“Can’t hear you, dickweed, try again - this time, tell me where I’ll find the last of your Rory Mars stash.”

He gripped her wrist and kicked his legs but they only struck air, “G-gah– my– fuck–”

She loostened her grip just a little, he gasped then spoke quickly, “My dealers already sold it all, we didn’t have that much to start off, it’s all gone, I swear it!”

She snarled and tightened her grip again, “I already visited all your dealers and they all said you were keeping it for yourself.” She leaned in, “I know what the stuff does and I can tell you’re on it.” She studied him, noting red rings around his irises, and the distinct smell of licorice that lingered on his breath, “reckon you popped a pill no more than 2 hours ago, so you got a stash nearby and you’re gonna give it to me.”

He spluttered until she loosened her grip again, “Just kill me, bitch. Rather die than be without that stuff.”

She chuckled darkly and let those warm sparks of her power leep from her skin and form into web-like strands of light, now pushing him against the wall and leaving her hands free, “I’m not gonna kill you, asshole. I do that and I’ll never get to your stash. You’re going to tell me where it is..” she moved forward, leaning into him, lowering her voice to a threatening whisper, “And I’m gonna try my best not to enjoy getting it out of you.”

Chapter 4: Actual, real cow.

#original characters #ko-fi #original writing #sci-fi #support small creators #writing #novastarre

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bukojuiice · 3 years

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are you feline what i’m feline? — todoroki shoto

ೃ pairing: cat boy! ┃pro hero! todoroki shoto x fem pro hero! reader

ೃ tags: smut 18+ (the rest of the tags are below the cut!)

ೃ warnings: nsfw

ೃ wc: 3k words

ೃ my nav → my mha writing masterlist → my katsuki bakugo x reader smau

ೃ blessed with a quirk that can temporarily transform any human being into any living thing they want through the means of potions and concoctions, you brew up a cat girl potion to surprise shoto for your second year anniversary. however, some accidents and mishaps happen, and you’re welcomed home by a handsome cat boy instead.

ೃ dedicating this fic to the lovely and amazing @todosweetheart bc her cat boy! shoto art is the reason why this fic exists. thank u for the content u feed us val! 🥰💓

additional tags: use of natural aphrodisiac, cat boy! kink, overstimulation, fingering, kitten/cat play, rough but loving sex)

You had just recently moved in to a new neighborhood with your boyfriend, Todoroki Shoto.

Your blissful domestic life with him was just about to begin and life couldn’t get any better than this. and yet...

sometimes you wish you could do more for him.

The two of you met when you were hired to work at his father’s agency, stealing glances at him by the reception area whenever you came in for work, and coincidentally getting into the same elevator as him. Not knowing that he was woefully smitten with you too. It was only through the probing of your co-workers that you had drunkenly confessed to him at a company party and he had (soberly) confessed to you too.

That was where everything started.

That was how you and the No. #3 Pro-hero got together.

Sometimes, it made you think if you were even worthy of his love.

You were just a hero with a support quirk; with it being used for more science and field-related work as your powers made you manifest and create drinkable liquids that could change the physical appearance of a person (make them invisible, turn them into an animal, or even turn them back into a child or into an elderly person) for a limited time and depending on how strong or weak the solution. This means that through your quirk, you are able to tamper with a person’s DNA through these concoctions without any consequences. It was a powerful quirk, just like magic, yes, but can it be used for offense? Sadly not.

Shoto’s quirk was the exact opposite. Bearing the quirk of fire and ice, he was the definition of perfection. The perfect quirk, the perfect combination of two exact opposite elements, and how adept he is at using both of them. Often praised and hailed by the public for not only being extremely powerful, but also for how painstakingly handsome he is. You were just waiting for some controversial tabloid to talk about the No. 3 Pro Hero and his girlfriend who was way out of his league.

Shoto constantly reassures you not to worry about them, never failing to calm you down with his gentle I love you’s and forehead kisses whenever he sees you tensed up and nervous, and never failing to tell you that you are the light of his life and his strength to continue fighting. and yet, it still worries you sometimes.

Today marks your 2 year anniversary.

The two of you decide to go out on a simple date tonight at one of the best-reviewed restaurants in the neighborhood as the two of you were busy with throwing out the moving boxes and unwrapping your furniture, combined with the hero work that the two of you do during the day. Completely ruling out the possibility of being able to plan an elaborate anniversary date.

But, it was alright. As cheesy as Shoto makes it sound, no day can ever become the worst, as long as he’s spending it with you.

“Ah~ Those crepes were super yummy! Plus, the cafe was really cute!” You beam with a satisfying yawn, the two of you walking side by side, hand holding the other, and his arm wrapped around your shoulder for that extra warmth against the cold summer night.

“Yea. There was a classy vibe to it. That was my first time trying a galette, and I must say that was tasty.” He remarks, turning to you. Your radiant and lively energy was infectious and he can’t help but smile. “Leave it to Mina and Sato to know all the best restaurants, I suppose.”

You nod contentedly and the two of you continue to walk back home in silence. Shoto looks around, taking in the sight and wondering if he could point out any small details about your surroundings that could make you laugh or smile. He notices a small shadow perk up from beneath a bush and he casually points at it. “Hmm? (Y/N), look over there.”

You follow Shoto’s gaze and also notice the small shadowy figure. “Oh?”

The quiet sound of a purr could be heard from the bush. The two of you wait a little bit for the creature to reveal itself. A black cat pounces out of the plant, it’s beautiful green eyes staring back at you. “Meoooow.”

The cat walks up to you and you crouch down, putting your hand out, and wait patiently. Sure enough, the cat nuzzles against it.

“Ahhh she’s so cute.” You observe the cat a bit more and notice it’s femme feline features. Shoto crouches down next to you and pats it’s head. Clearly the kitty seems to enjoy all this attention as she’s purring up a storm. “She is.”

You glance at Shoto and notice how his eyes glimmered a different blue-grey light as he continued to play with the kitten. Pure bliss present in his face. His handsome and soft features make you blush, with the heat rising up to your cheeks, you quickly turn away before Shoto could notice you.

Bingo.

What if you turned into a Cat Girl and made Shoto… ya know…

It was a simple formula after all. You could whip up a concoction, sprinkle in a little bit of natural aphrodisiac and that’s it! The recipe to the sexiest and kinkiest night of your life! Maybe you could show your love to Shoto in a different way than most girlfriends do to their boyfriends no?

“AHAH!” You suddenly jump up from the ground, your boyfriend perks up a little bit in surprise too. You then bring out your phone and begin scrolling through your notes. “Sho-kun! Come on! Let’s get home!” You grab his hand and drag him away. He adjusts his running to your pace, smiling at your sudden burst of eagerness and excitement. “Alright alright, love. Be careful so we don’t trip.”

That night, you told Shoto to not wait for you as you had to brew up some potions for tomorrow as specially requested by a hero from your agency. Although reluctant at first to leave you, he intently watched you work your magic at the little science lab in your house. The smell of the strong chemicals waft around the living room, prompting him to retreat back to your bedroom, but not without a quick kiss (that was about to turn into a make out session) before bed.

“Happy anniversary, Love.” Shoto holds you by the waist, resting his head on your shoulder. The two of you swaying slightly to the non-existent rhythm and this makes you almost want to go to bed with him. “Shall we continue this tomorrow?” He peppers kisses down your neck, you giggle in response.

“We shall.” You turn to him and deliver a kiss to his lips. You pull away before you could even begin to think of yearning for more. “I’m sorry if we had to cut our anniversary short. It’s your day off tomorrow right? I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

He nods first before giving you one last kiss, this time on the forehead. “Goodnight (Y/N). I love you.”

“I love you too.” He pulls away. you watch him leave your lab first and make sure he’s out of sight before you get back to work.

After a few more hours of solving the formula and crafting the recipe for a potion that doesn’t necessarily turn you into a cat, but rather, give you only cat ears and a cat tail, yu bring out a thermos bottle from the cupboard and pour in the liquid solvent along with the natural aphrodisiac. You stir it a little bit before using your quirk to add the finishing touch and to make it a viable and an actually working potion.

“Can’t wait to drink this tomorrow.” You snicker to yourself, as you pour all of the liquid onto the thermos, storing it in the fridge and then proceed to go to your bedroom and finally hit the sack.

“AHH I’M LATE!” You rush out of the bedroom, messy bedhead hair, your hero suit not even fully zipped up, mismatched socks, and your bag tossing and turning, most of the contents falling out, your thermos being one of them. “I’M LATE FOR WORK! BYE! I LOVE YOU!” You greet Shoto who was eating his breakfast in the kitchen, planting him a farewell kiss on the cheek as you dash your way out of the house.

“I l-love you too.” He bids goodbye with a wave, but you weren’t even there to hear it anymore. Shoto’s eyes cast downward, a bit disappointed that he wasn’t even able to greet you properly this morning and how your anniversary date felt so short even though you promised each other you would spend more time together later today.

He then notices your water bottle on the ground. A sticky note that was labeled “Drink me!” was attached to it and of course as every other person would react once they see a note like that,

Shoto thought that was for him.

“SHO! I’M BACK!” You call out to him, closing the door behind you. “Sho~?” You sing-song, peering through the kitchen and the living room but your boyfriend was nowhere to be seen. “Where are youuu?” You continue to traverse through your house, looking for him. You grind to a halt when you notice your thermos bottle on top of the dining table… All empty.

Oh no.

Oh no no no no.

“Shoto!” You call out, your voice cracking with nervousness. You rush to your bedroom, hoping and praying that he was there. Only… for the lights to be out.

“Sho?” Your hand reaches out for the light switch. But, you hesitate. What if a demon had kidnapped your boyfriend and you had to save him!? What can your quirk even do to save him!?

“(Y/N)...” He finally responds. Although his tone was soft and still a bit suspicious, you breathe a sigh of a relief and finally turn on the lights.

The lights illuminate the room to reveal your boyfriend in his usual turtleneck fit that you always ogle at. You look up and down, noticing that this is still the same man you know and love and nothing bad actually happened until…

You look up and behind him.

He’s still the same man you know and love.

Just this time however. he’s a cat boy.

“I drank the potion that you made.” He says ever so casually, nothing ever fazes him as usual. “It had a “drink me!” sticky note attached to it and I thought it was for me.” He continues to speak plainly. You thought you could get out of this situation scotch-free and you didn’t have to explain to your loving boyfriend what had happened to him. That was until he crossed his arms, his feet tapping the ground, and his cat tail waving behind him. “Please explain to me why I am now a cat boy.”

“Well…” You began twiddling with your fingers, trying your very best not to make eye contact with him or else you would end up squealing in delight because of how adorable he looked. “You see, I made this potion to turn me into a cat girl so that I can… ya know… please you and stuff. I saw how affectionate you were with the cat we saw last night so.. I guess you can consider this as my late anniversary gift to you?” You laugh sheepishly, still trying your best not to look at him as his gaze intensifies.

Shoto’s black and white cat ears twitch as he tries to stifle a laugh. “Fine. I forgive you. This will wear off eventually right?” You nod in response and Shoto’s shoulders slump down in relief. He was about to approach you and envelop you in a hug, until his legs wobbled midway and he practically fell down onto the floor.

You rush to him and help him stand up, propping himself on the bed. “Sho… are you alright love?”

He starts breathing heavily, cat ears twitching once again, fingers trembling, lips quivering, and his face as red as a tomato. “(Y/N)... what was even in that potion you made?”

You suddenly remember the aphrodisiac you added to the recipe.

Oh no no no no (2)

Shoto suddenly turns away from you before you could notice the bulge rising in his pants. He covers his face in embarrassment, refusing to look at you.

“I also added some aphrodisiac and some catnip into the potion ahahaha…” You scratch the back of your neck. Shoto turns to you again, his eyes glowing like that of a cat and giving off a smoldering feeling. He shifts your position, gently yet somehow arduously pinning you down on the bed. He steps closer, hands moving up your sides, going around your back, pulling you flush against him. Shoto nips at your earlobe, sending sparks through you.

You bite back a moan as he kisses your neck, his tongue hot, the gentle scrape of his teeth (slightly sharped like that of fangs) leaving you shivering.

The two of you stop for a bit. He breaks the kiss to rest his forehead against yours. Tension coils around him, barely contained energy. As if Shoto is preventing himself from showing you his animalistic and feline hunger wanting to ravage you.

“C-can I-”

Before Shoto could even utter another word, you grab his face and pull him back into a desperate kiss, capturing his gasp and the throaty moan that follows. You capture his mouth with yours, and he responds eagerly, his kiss fervent, all his restraint crumbling at your touch.

He kisses your chin, and you tip your head back as he trails his lips down your neck, murmuring praise.

He lays you down, hiking your shirt up, tossing it to the floor, then deftly unhooking your bra, and exposing your breasts. You giggle and reach for his pants, unzipping the fly and getting a little thrill when you see the huge bulge in his boxers.

You push up his turtleneck sweater to admire his abs and Shoto smiles back at you seductively.

“Like what you see?” He says teasingly, a little quip that he barely does when the two of you make love, his husky voice makes your stomach swoop.

“I can only tell you if you purr first.” You tease back, running your fingers over his cat ears. Shoto feels the tickling sensation build up inside of him, slowly about to give in to his raw animal instincts. While you continue to run your fingers through his cat features, he begins to suck and nibble on your breasts. You feel yourself get lost in his gentle caress, barely even notice him pulling off your panties and sliding them off between your legs. Shoto’s fingers slowly slide into your womanhood, as if testing out the waters. He works them in and out for a bit, then pulls them out, brings them to his mouth, and licks them.

Like a kitten licking its milk.

“Sho…”

You feel the last of Shoto’s restraint break as his cat ears twitch again, you can practically feel the energy crackling around him, and the hunger in his eyes more evident than a while ago. Shoto then braces his arms beside your head, as he slots his hips between your thighs. You rise up to meet him, a low moan spilling from your lips.

“(Y/N)... I’m going to put it in now…”

You bite your lip and nod in confirmation.

Shoto gently sets a slow pace, your head spins at the sensation and the arousal coursing through you, your hips rolling to meet the movements of his cock. As he enters, the thrilling sensation courses through you again and your mind feels like it just melted.

You gently rub his cat ears again, and his cock twitches inside of you, the enthralling reaction resulting in a shudder of pleasure shooting through your body, unlike anything you’ve ever felt before. And that pleasure transmits to Shoto loud and clear from your pussy.

Meanwhile, his breathing was ragged, more wild and animalistic than normal. Which is to be expected due to the potion but… this hot and intense feeling radiating off of him was different.

And you love it.

“I-I feel like I’m losing control…”

As Shoto speaks, he slams his cock into you, making your legs shake and you moaning louder than you should. Everything seems more intense, from his thrusting to the look on his eye.

At this point, it’s getting harder and harder to form a coherent sentence.

“Is it alright if I go faster?” Shoto says softly, you hold his hand in reassurance, unable to respond properly as every intense emotion running inside of you makes you let out hitched and breathy moans instead.

Shoto pulls out halfway, then slams back inside of you, making a loud sticky sound.

The two of you were acting like animals in heat.

“A-ah! Shoto!” You mewl out, each of Shoto’s thrust hitting an undiscovered part of your insides. Spurred on by your voice, his pace further increases, until you’re both moving frantically. You gasp at his intensity, at the weight and heat of his body pinning you down.

“(Y/N)! I’m going to-”

You wrap your legs around his waist, urging him on, and his fluffy tail briefly brushes against you. Shoto’s body tenses up as he prepares to unload inside of you.

Shoto’s body spasms- including his tail. Waves of pleasure flood over you as his semen shoots full-force into your depths.

The two of you gaze into each other’s eyes for a minute before he slowly lays himself next to you, his feline features slowly disappearing as you try to catch your breath.

“L-look they disappeared with one whoosh.” You say in between pants and giggles, Shoto covering the two of you with your bed duvet, chuckling along with you/

“Next time, please label things properly and tell me if you added any sort of ingredient that could increasingly highten my sex drive.” He says with an exasperated sigh, yet satisfaction plastered all over his face as he looks at you lovingly. “I love you (Y/N). Happy anniversary… nya~” He whispers the last few words, shooting you a wink.

Your eyes widen, your mouth forming into an O like that one Chris Pratt meme. “Y-you just said…”

“Let’s h-have a nap and just have some late dinner instead.” He shushes you by planting a kiss on your forehead.

You were about to protest, but as soon as Shoto shut his eyes, you didn’t bother doing so anymore.

You plant a kiss on his knuckles, snuggling closer to him. “I love you too Sho. Happy anniversary.”

#shoto x reader #todoroki x reader #mha smut #mha x reader #bnha x reader #shoto todoroki smut #todoroki smut #shoto smut #bnha smut #my hero academia x reader #boku no hero academia x reader #shouto x reader #todoroki shouto x reader #shoto todoroki x reader #shoto todoroki x y/n #shoto x y/n #shoto todoroki x reader smut #shoto x reader smut #todoroki x reader smut

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king-star · 3 years

Note

hii! can you please make a natasha x reader fic where they both have been dating for a while and it's natasha's birthday and the reader surprises her with a brand new suit that she made herself and nat cries bc she never got a meaningful gift and the reader also surprises her with cake and more romantic gifts. you could make the reader tony's sister so it would make more sense that she's good at making suits but you don't have to!! thank you sm i need sum cute natty 😫

Birthday Suit

Warning: Use of the pet name Sunflower,

Match: Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Genre: Fluff

A/N: So this one was fun. I hate my birthday but this actually was cute. I’m trying a new way of presenting the dialogue. aesthetically it looks better but I’m not sure how it reads. I've seen other authors do the dialogue on completely seperate lines so just lmk if this is good.

Word Count: ~2.5 k

Summary: It’s Natasha's birthday, and despite her acting like she hates it you shower her with love.

The smell of cooking cake fills the compound. Even from the workshop, where you are, the sweet scent permeates the air. You have been baking for long enough to know what that smell means, the cake is almost done.

You check the clock on the wall. 2:44. Nat would be home at 5.

“Shit. I need to get this done,”

You shake your head and set down your wire cutters. The list of everything you need to get done before she arrives rolls through your mind.

It was her birthday. She didn’t know her actual birthday so years ago she made one up. The chosen date was a closely guarded secret she only shared with those she trusted most. For the most part the assassin didn’t even celebrate. When you had asked a week prior what she wanted to do she had brushed you off claiming,

“I don’t really care. As long as I get to be with my love.”

She had kissed you, hoping the kiss would fog your mind from any further planning. Unfortunately for her you were a big schemer, always going as big as you could for your friend’s birthdays.

You walked out of the workshop, making one last longing look at her unfinished gift on your messy work table. No one was around today. The one Saturday everyone had off a month. Natasha had gone shopping with Wanda, a plan conncocted to give you plenty of time to get everything ready.

“Friday do you mind turing the oven off?”

you asked the A.I. as you headed down the hallway.

“Of course Agent Y/L/N,”

entering the kitchen you picked up a discarded list of everything that needed to be done. Two items were crossed off “Bake the cake, movie fort.” The unmarked items looked at you teasingly and you felt anxiety rise in your chest. What if you didn’t get everything done and this birthday made Natasha hate birthdays even more? You shook your head trying to chase off the thoughts and went to the oven.

“One perfectly baked chocolate cake coming up,”

grabbing an oven mitt you pulled the cake out of the oven and placed it on the counter. Carefully you coerced the cake from the pan and set it on the cooling rack.

Back when Wanda and you ventured into the baking realm you had begged Tony to put in a floor to ceiling blast chiller. The kind that was always on baking competitions. He reluctantly agreed, with the price of always having to give him a taste of your creations. The freezer was immensely helpful in tight circumstances. You were more than grateful for it now.

You set your cake into the freezer and went to the pantry to pull out all the ingredients you needed for icing. You poured the powdered sugar and placed the butter into the bowl. When you turned on the mixer a cloud of sugary powder exploded in the kitchen. You blinked and licked your lips. Bringing a hand up to wipe your face, you laughed hard. Sugar covered the entire counter and floor beneath you, not to mention your already grease stained clothes.

“Wow, is my little sibling doing coke in here? And without me!”

a snarky voice sounded from across the room. You opened your eyes and squinted at your older brother with a scrunched nose.

“Can it Tony,”

You growled, grabbing a towel and wiping yourself off the counter. Tony laughed at you and opened the freezer to look at what sweet treats awaited him tonight.

“A cake? Are we celebrating?”

He laughed and made a teasing face. You rolled your eyes and called out to Friday.

“Can you order me four containers of icing from the store to be delivered?”

“You got it!”

her chipper accented voice came over the audio. You threw the towel in the sink and landed a punch in Tony’s arm as you left to go change.

“You better not eat any of that cake until Nat has had at least one slice. I know where you keep those rare magic cards you think no one knows about and I will not hesitate to cut them all in half,”

He looked at you in shock. Whether it was because you knew about the secret stash or because you would dare cut them you weren’t sure. The only way to get Tony mad was to go for something he couldn’t replace with money.

“YOU WOULDN'T FUCKING DARE,”

You run away as he climbs out of his chair and chases after you. You run into your room and lay on the door to push back a Tony who was only a few steps behind you. When you finally force the door into the frame you turn the lock and fall to the floor laughing.

Angry mumbling came from the other side. Tony pounded on the door twice before, defeated. walking away. After catching your breath you pulled your sugar stained clothes off and changed into the outfit you’d set aside that morning.

“Y/N the man just arrived with the icing,”

Friday called out to your room and you nodded.

“Thank you Friday. Have him set the bags in the kitchen,”

Friday hummed in agreement. You stood up and looked in the mirror checking yourself out. When you were satisfied with the look you unlocked the door and turned to the right. You really needed to finish Natasha’s present. You wouldn’t even have time to test it properly. You really hoped the phrase “it’s the thought that counts,” was true. Her gift could be something that got you endless kisses or a real crash and burn.

Making it to the lab you set your hand on your head and groaned. You really hoped it worked. It was so pretty. You grabbed the wrapping paper and box and set it in with a kiss.

“Natty, I hope you like it,”

The gift finished the fort built, and cake baked, there was only one thing left to do, ice the damn cake. You could bake sure, but only Wanda ever mastered the art of making it look beautiful.

When you made it to the kitchen Tony was nowhere in sight and a plastic bag with what you assumed was icing was set on the counter. You pulled out a butter knife and dug in, hoping this looked somewhat edible. Wanda was the one who was skilled at decorating. You could make the elaborate pastry chef treats, but you could never handle the finer details of making it look pretty.

You were in the workshop when Friday alerted you that Wanda and Natasha were home. A feeling similar to anxiety or excitement fluttered in your chest. This was the first time you’d celebrated her birthday with your girlfriend. You wanted her to like birthdays again. To feel as special and loved as you can pour out for her.

“Thank you Friday. Please tell them I’m in the workshop and will be heading to the game room shortly,”

You set down the gauntlet you’d been fixing while waiting for them and brushed off your outfit. Your eyes searched over the shirt for stains, and when you were satisfied you were clean you headed to your “party”.

Wanda was the first to come in. She threw her hands to her face and “oood” and “aweeed” over the spread you had out.

“Y/N your cake! it’s…. adorable,”

you punched her in the shoulder with a frown. She fell over laughing.

“I TRIED! and I’m sure it tastes amazing.”

you crossed your arms and pouted. She sat back up still laughing and patted your back.

“She’ll love it Y/N. Even if it had ‘fuck you Nat’ written on top she’d love it,”

you smiled at the complement and stopped pouting. You were explaining the technology behind Nat’s present when the woman of the hour finally walked in.

“What is all this? Are y’all having a party? and didn’t invite me,”

she sat down next to you intertwining your fingers with hers and kissing your shoulder. You smiled as the excitement anxiety mix returned.

“Actually…. it’s for you,”

You smiled and kissed her hands. She looked genuinely surprised. You really hoped the feeling was happy excitement.

“oh- Y/N y-you remembered? and you didn’t have to do any of this. I thought I told you i didn’t care to celebrate,”

you felt Wanda stand up to leave with a pat on your shoulder. You smiled up at her and turned back to Natasha.

“I know I know, but I wanted to do something special. You love me so well and work so hard all the time. You deserve a day that’s unapologetically about you,”

You knew if Natasha didn’t have such complete control of her emotions she would be crying. The agape mouth gave that away. You smiled and leaned forward pulling her into a deep, intimate kiss. Feeling her smile against your lips you pulled away and leaned your forehead against hers.

“I love you Natashka. I will do anything to make you feel like Queen of the world,”

with that she started crying. You frowned and wiped away the tears.

“I really hope those are happy tears,”

she nodded quickly and smiled, sniffling a little.

“Very very happy tears. happy ‘I don’t know what on Earth i did to deserve you’ tears,”

“It is I who does not deserve you. The Great Black Widow. I’m just here to make you smile, it’s my life goal,”

you bowed as much as you could sitting down. Placing a peck on her lips you turned back to the presents and pointed.

“Which one should we open first?”

she pondered and then picked up a small box. Nimble fingers unwrapped the box and pulled out a Ring. You had managed to get her size weeks earlier fitting one of your own on her finger when hanging out. She looked at the little silver band with a carved sunflower at the head. A smile bloomed across her face and she hugged you.

“Oh my goodness Y/N, it’s so pretty…,”

she slid it onto her fingers, finding the one it fit best and stared at it. You hugged her shoulder and kissed her cheek.

“Well, you are my sunflower. It’s just a reminder when we are away,”

Her eyes lit up at the nickname. It wasn’t as common for you to use it as baby or sweetheart, but sunflower had always been her favourite.

She looked at the other boxes realising they were also for her. You picked up the next box, a medium sized one and handed it to her. You were saving the biggest for last.

She was just in awe and set it down before unwrapping it. Her hands snaked around your waist and pulled you flush to her. Her soft lips pressed kisses to your jaw and she set her head on your shoulder.

“Thank you so much Y/N, I- no one has done something like this for me ever,”

She hugged you tight again and then let go picking back up the present. You nodded and kissed her head. Pushing some hair out of her face you stroked her hair softly. Her hands once again unwrapped the gift. She squeaked at the sight of the book underneath the paper.

Natasha never got to read much on her own accord growing up. The red room picked out books for her education but never anything she would actually enjoy. Long ago Natasha had told you the first book she read after getting out of the red room was Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and since then she adored the book. You had found, and paid for with Tony’s credit card, a first edition of the book. The auction was rough but you needed that book for Natasha.

Natasha stared at the book once, again jaw hanging open. She wiped her hands on her pants before handingly the book with utmost care. She flipped it over and ran her fingertips over the indented letters and gold illustration on the front.

“Y-you like it? I know you said you like Alice in Wonderland. It’s uh… actually a first edition copy. Tony was about ready to kill me when he saw me pay for the bid,”

You laughed nervously. She turned the book around again and then set it on the coffee table. She tackled you and pushed you back on the couch kissing all over your face. You yelped in surprise then grabbed her hips, catching her lips and kissing her roughly. She melted into the kiss but you pulled away.

“As much as I love this Natty, let’s open your last gift and eat some cake,”

You sat up and pulled her so she was in your lap. You placed a soft kiss to the back of her neck as she reached for the last gift. It was heavy but the assassin had no trouble lifting it.

“After that we can makeout in the fort I made. yeah?”

You wrapped your arms around her waist and pulled her close to you, rubbing circles on her thigh. She laughed and nodded, blushing profusely.

“I like that idea Y/N,”

She opened the box and pulled out the gift you put months of effort into. This time her reaction wasn’t as instantaneous. You helped her pull all the pieces out and set it on the coffee table. She looked at it slightly perplexed.

“I’m sorry… I’m not exactly sure what it is,”

She pouted and looked at you. You smiled and nodded knowing she wouldn’t. You set it out so she could see all the parts.

“Well… uh it’s a new suit. You always say that you don’t like how tight and revealing your other ones are so I kinda beefed this one up so it focuses on functionality,”

She nodded along as you explained. A look of understanding crossed her face as she pulled at the sleeves.

“ohhhhhhhh. That makes so much sense. I- Y/N what the fuck. I can’t express it enough. You are the best, you listened to me and used it to give me the best gifts i’ve ever gotten. You are the most thoughtful partner,”

You beamed. The feeling you knew she was struggling to express, it was exactly what you’d wanted her to feel. Loved, heard, appreciated, and cared for.

“I’m glad sunflower. That’s what I wanted. To make you feel as good as you deserve. D-do you mind if I tell you a bit about the features? I didn’t have time to test some of them so I will need to do that before you take it into combat,”

She nodded and slid off your lap to look at you. You patted her legs and squeezed then held at the sleeve first.

“Well of course it wouldn’t be a suit for the Black widow without gauntlets. These can change through three different modes for different levels and types of stuns also a laser if you need that for aiming,”

You flipped on the laser and pointed it at a pot then turned it back off.

“Also I made it so the suit can suction to your body but be limp to put it on. a lot easier to slip on ya know. And there is mobile but thick padding on all major points of contact for falling. Shoulders, hips, elbows, knees, the like.”

Natasha ran her hands over the surprisingly thin padding and smiled.

“Wow baby that’s… amazing,”

You nodded and picked up the bag attached to the back.

“And uh there’s a parachute built in as well as pockets up the legs, arms and boots so you don’t have to have the belts. They are sorta magnetic so you can like open them easily but when they are closed everything stays in. OH AND THE BOOTS,”

You started to ramble on about the energy absorbing boots you worked with Shuri on that would allow Nat to drop from double the height of a normal human with no damage to her knees or feet. Nat just stared at you hungirly.

“Hey baby, I seriously appreciate the gift. It’s honestly the best thing I've ever gotten. Why don’t we try it out tomorrow and you can show me EVERYTHING. For now we can… sit in the fort like you said,”

She had a cocky smile and you blushed at her antics. You nodded quickly, cutting off your rambling. Her hands found your waist and she pulled you off the couch and into the pillow fort you had built.

“I uh- got a movie for us to watch. Do you want to?”

She nodded and smiled. A look that very much meant “Yes. That's sweet, but I doubt we will be watching it.” You pulled her into your lap, setting your hands on her waist. She draped hers over your shoulders and rubbed light circles on the back of your neck. You leaned forward and trapped her lips in a kiss. Soft but full of passion.

The rest of that night was spent watching the movie and kissing. When you finally remembered the cake a slice had been taken out of it, with

“You were busy with Romanoff so I took what I was owed. The package has been moved, try getting me now little sibling.”

On a sticky note beside it. Natasha had laughed, unsure exactly what had happened but sure it was a story she would much enjoy hearing.

She had moaned over how good the cake was after laughing at how “Adorably” it was decorated.

“So Nat… did I make this birthday worth celebrating?”

She smiled wide and nodded.

“Yes Y/N, if every birthday was like this I would never want to stop celebrating.”

Tag List:

@xburningbluex @zoeyserpentluck @iamgaiiiuwu @natasharomanoffswife @fleurlovesbucky @fayhar @ymzki-haruki @lostandsearching

Natasha Tag list:

@basiclesbianbitch @stephanieromanoff @sapphicshots @madamevirgo @choni-trimberly@wlwlovesreading @i-just-like-storage @screamsin-gay @ymzki-haruki

#black widow x reader #black widow x y/n #black widow fluff #natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff x y/n #natasha romanoff fluff #black widow #natasha romanoff #black widow fanfic #natasha romanoff fanfic #avengers #mcu #marvel #my fic #king-star

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honeypiehotchner · 3 years

Text

Looking Too Closely (Bucky x Stark!Fem!Reader) -- part one

I know, I know. I just finished a 100k fic about Aaron Hotchner, I have another fic for him coming in May, and yet here I am, writing a Bucky Barnes fic. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier has done things to me, guys. I knew I was going to fall right back in love with Bucky and I totally did. So here’s this xx.

(Also, as for the timeline, don’t question it. I’m kind of imagining this on its own separate timeline, but I’ll pull details from everywhere)

Summary: You’re (possibly) Tony Stark’s daughter. You’re also (possibly) on the run from the law. What better place to show up than the Avengers Tower? [Oh and no Bucky in this one! He comes in part 2]

Warnings: angst, mentions of death (your mom), mentions of homelessness, Tony is kinda an asshole (but I still think it’s in character)

BUCKY BARNES MASTERLIST

You weren’t going to come here.

It was a last-resort kind of option. A I-don’t-want-to-sleep-on-a-park-bench-(again) option. An is-going-to-jail-really-better-than-just-knocking-on-a-door? Kind of option.

Turns out, knocking on a door is better than going to jail. Especially when Tony Stark’s shocked face is almost as comical as your mom’s.

Currently, you’re soaking wet (damn skies decided to open up before you could get to the Tower) and sitting in Tony’s office while he paces and talks on the phone.

“Pepper, honey, I know this is bad timing, but I need you to pick up, okay? I have a kid here— Okay, she’s glaring at me, so not a kid— No, you know what? She is a kid and she’s getting water everywhere and she says she’s my kid and I’m two seconds from going into crisis mode.”

You and me both, you think to yourself. If you knew Tony was this much of a drama queen, you would’ve just gone to the police station. It was closer, anyway. Damn.

Tony ends the voicemail (which is his fifth one, you believe) and spins around to face you, a nervous smile on his lips. “Okay. How old are you again?”

“19,” you repeat tiredly. It was one of the first questions he asked you. “And I don’t actually know if I’m really your kid, okay? My mom says you are, but I don’t know.”

“Where is your mom?” His eyebrows raise like he’s brilliant and has found a way out. “Can you call her?”

“I don’t have a phone, but even if I did, no, I can’t,” you pause, rolling your eyes at his confusion. “She’s dead, Tony. She passed away last month.”

His confusion settles into shock. “Oh.”

“Oh is right,” you chuckle, ignoring your teeth chattering. “And trust me, I wouldn’t be here if I had literally anywhere else I could go.”

Tony opens his mouth to reply, but is cut off by his phone. He hurriedly answers and returns to pacing. “Pepper! Hi!— Okay, slow down, yes I’m telling the truth! Why would I lie— Okay, that was one time. Listen, this time, I’m not lying.” Pause. “Yes, there really is a kid here. You’re serious? Okay, fine, hang on.”

You watch as Tony starts a video call, and then turns the phone around on you.

Pepper Potts’s eyes widen when she sees you staring back at her, a cold and shivering mess.

“Um, hi?” Your voice is small and wary.

“Shit,” Pepper replies, and Tony turns the phone back on his face.

“See? Not lying.”

“For God’s sake, Tony!” Pepper yells. “Get the poor girl some dry clothes! I’ll be there as soon as I can, but try not to freeze her to death before I can get there. Christ.” The call ends.

You muffle a giggle in your hand, looking up to find a tired stare from Tony. Your laughter ends and you mirror his expression. “I told you dude, if I had literally anywhere else I could go, I’d be there.”

“Homeless shelter?” Tony questions.

“A homeless shelter in New York? You mean a breeding ground for disease and sexual assault?”

Your blunt reply has Tony faltering, but he accepts it. “Right. Let’s just— Let’s get you into something dry and warm and maybe get some food in you.” His eyes graze over your form. “When was the last time you ate?”

“Do you really want to ask me that?”

He thinks it over, and nods. “Never mind. Follow me.”

You stand and follow him, leaving a trail of water wherever you step.

He grimaces, pausing in his steps to say, “FRIDAY, will you dry the floors in here before I get back?”

“Who the hell are you talking to—”

Your question is promptly cut off by a female voice answering Tony. “Yes, Mr. Stark.” The voice echoes all around and sounds human, but distinctly sounds like it isn’t.

“What the fuck was that?”

“FRIDAY,” Tony replies. “Stands for ‘Female Replacement Intelligent Digital Assistant Youth’. A mouthful, I know, so I just call her FRIDAY. She’s my AI and she’s all over this building.”

“She— Never mind,” you shake your head. “Cool. Weird, but cool. I guess.”

Tony smiles, but then continues walking, exiting his office.

You follow closely behind, trying not to get too distracted by everything you’re seeing. All you saw on the way up here was the lobby, the elevator, and then right into Tony’s office. Now, you’re seeing out glass windows and down into the rest of the Tower. You have a clean view into what looks like a lab, and you see a few people working in there, but they’re too focused to even bother looking elsewhere.

After stepping into the elevator with you, Tony says, “Wanda should have some extra clothes you can borrow and if not she can at least help you...find some.”

He eyes you like he doesn’t quite know what to do with you, which you think is remarkably humbling of him. Part of you expected (what with all the stories you’ve heard and read about him) that he would act like he knew exactly what to do — regardless of whether it was right.

Maybe he will act that way later, but right now he almost seems frightened, and it’s weirdly comforting.

“Wanda is one of the…” Tony pauses. “You know where we are, right?”

You raise one eyebrow. “You mean do I know this is the Avengers Tower and that the Avengers are real people?”

“Yes…”

“Then yes.”

“Okay,” Tony says, straightening and composing himself once more. “Wanda is one of the Avengers.”

“I know.”

Tony hesitates, and the elevator is still going. “You’re not some crazy fan, right?”

“Dude, I told you. If I had anywhere else to be, I would’ve gone there.” You shrug. “Yeah, it’s cool or whatever, but I’m not going to faint.”

“Good to know,” he says, though you faintly hear him mutter, “cool or whatever,” to himself.

Finally, the elevator stops and the doors open to a new floor, one that you quickly realize is what can be described as the residential area for the Avengers. Their rooms are on this floor, along with a kitchen and a living area of sorts — both of which are empty right now.

Tony notices you looking around and says, “Most everyone is out on a mission right now, so it’s just me and Wanda around.”

“Okay,” you say.

Tony takes you down a hall and around a corner, and stops at a door. He knocks a couple times and then says, “Hey Wan, it’s me and I have a...an issue that I need your help with.”

The door opens a moment later to reveal Wanda Maximoff, a younger woman closer to your age wearing a confused expression. “An issue?” She questions, and then her eyes land on you. “Oh, hi.”

“Hey,” you offer a small smile. “I’m Y/N.”

“I’m Wanda,” she replies, offering a smile in return. But when she looks at Tony, it drops. “What did you do?”

“Why does everyone always assume that I’ve done something?”

“Because when have you not done something?”

Tony pauses. “Fair point. Look, the kid needs some clothes, and I figured borrowing something old of yours would be more comfortable than Avengers workout gear.”

Wanda seems surprised Tony even thought of that. “Of course,” she looks at you. “You can take a shower to warm up, if you want. But I definitely have some clothes you can borrow.”

“Thanks.”

“Just uh…” Tony pauses, waving around like the words will appear in thin air. “Bring her to the kitchen when she’s done.”

“Standing right here,” you mutter, earning a laugh from Wanda.

“Go away,” she waves at Tony. “I’ve got this.”

Tony walks away, clearly elated to be rid of you and have you in the hands of a responsible adult that is not himself.

Wanda shuts her door with a roll of her eyes. “Sometimes I wonder how Pepper keeps him afloat,” she murmurs. “Anyway, on to you— Oh, before all that, I can read minds, but I am actively blocking that right now. I’ll try really hard not to be nosy, but don’t worry, I am really good at keeping secrets because of it.”

You can’t help but smile. “It’s okay. There’s not much that goes on up here anyway.”

She gives you a skeptical look. “I may not be listening, but the amount of energy I am using right now to not listen tells me that’s far from true.”

You just shrug in response, not wanting to get into it.

Thankfully, she keeps her promise and moves on, too, walking toward her closet. “I have loads of t-shirts and hoodies, skirts, too, but I do have some leggings. Do you have a preference?”

“Just whatever you’re comfortable with letting me borrow.”

Part of you thinks she read your mind, though, because she hands you leggings and a t-shirt, along with one of her many zip-up hoodies. You were silently wishing she wouldn’t hand you a skirt.

“My bathroom is just through there and there’s clean towels on the shelf if you want to shower.” Wanda smiles, gesturing toward the open door at the other end of her room.

“Thanks.” You walk over and quickly pee, not realizing until you entered that you’ve desperately had to piss this entire time.

You decide against a shower for the sake of not wanting to take up too much time, and not feeling up for being naked in a stranger’s shower (albeit a kind stranger).

After changing into Wanda’s clothes, and hanging your wet ones over the shower curtain, you go back into Wanda’s bedroom. She’s sitting on her bed, mindlessly moving a red ball of energy between her fingers and up her arms.

She smiles upon seeing you, but doesn’t drop the energy. “Feel better?”

“Yeah,” you nod, mesmerized by the glowing ball of red in her palms. “That’s so dope.”

“Dope?”

“Really cool,” you clarify.

“Oh,” she giggles, and the energy evaporates. “I think I’ve heard Peter say that a few times.”

You have no clue who Peter is, but you don’t question it. “Should we go out there?”

“Yes,” she slides off the bed. “I’ll come with you. Tony can be a handful.”

That’s what your mom used to say about him, too.

You follow Wanda silently out into the hallway, and as you both get closer to the living area and kitchen, you hear two voices this time. One is Tony’s and after a few more steps, you find out that the other voice is Pepper.

“You’re saying she just showed up out of nowhere?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying because that’s exactly what happened.”

“And she says you’re her father?”

“Allegedly,” Tony scoffs, resting his hands on the kitchen counter. “I don’t actually know. I can’t remember that far back.”

“How far back?” Pepper asks, arms crossed over her chest.

“She says she’s 19.”

“I’ll be 20 this year,” you interject, enjoying the way Tony fumbles and tries to put on his mask one more time.

“Hey kiddo,” he says. “This is Pepper Potts, she’s the one who wrangles me in.”

Pepper shakes her head before offering you a warm smile and her hand to shake. “It’s nice to meet you, Y/N. I’m sorry you seem to be going through such a tough time.”

“It’s okay,” you say while shaking her hand. “I’m sorry for barging in and all. I didn’t know where else to really go.”

“Nope, that’s okay,” she assures you. “We’re going to get this figured out. Do you mind if you and I just talk for a minute?”

“That sounds good.”

“Awesome,” Pepper smiles. “Okay, Tony, just...go to the lab or something. But...go away.”

You and Wanda share a look as Tony saunters off, no doubt muttering under his breath.

“I’ll leave you guys to it,” Wanda says, gesturing between you and Pepper. “It was nice to meet you.”

“You too,” you smile. “Thanks again for the clothes. I’ll try to give them back soon.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Wanda shakes her head before heading back down the hallway to her room.

You’re left alone with Pepper, who doesn’t terrify you, but the prospect of what conversation is going to come next does.

“Do you want something to eat?” She asks. “I can order something while we talk.”

“Um...pizza?” It’s inexpensive and never fails you in terms of being able to eat it.

“Sure,” Pepper smiles gently. “What kind?”

After telling her your favorite toppings, the two of you take a seat on one of the couches. She finishes placing the order on her phone before she sets down the device and gives you her full attention.

“So. Tony told me your mom passed away,” Pepper pauses. “I’m really sorry for your loss.”

“It’s alright.”

“He also told me you didn’t show up with anything at all,” Pepper says. “Do you mind if FRIDAY does an identity check?”

“Is that like a background check?”

“Essentially, but it’s not that extensive. It’s just so we know the truth about who you are.” She pauses again, sensing your hesitation. “Unfortunately, it’s just a precaution we have to take.”

“Okay,” you agree, realizing you have nothing left to lose. “Uh, how do I…?”

“Right,” Pepper chuckles. “FRIDAY?”

“Yes, Ms. Potts.”

“Will you please do an identity check on…”

“Y/N M/N L/N.”

“One moment.”

“It should just take a few seconds,” Pepper explains. “Oh, and there will be a hologram that will appear— Right there.”

“Identity confirmed.”

The hologram appears in front of the TV, showing general information about you alongside a picture of you — a picture that you think is on your driver’s license, wherever the ashes of that is.

“Y/N M/N L/N, born to Isabella L/N in 2001 in a hospital in Newark, New Jersey. She was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.”

Your eyes widen. “That’s weird.”

“Thank you, FRIDAY,” Pepper says, and the hologram disappears. “It is a little freaky. I’m still not totally used to all of Tony’s tech, but I’ve stopped worrying about it. Good news is, you are who you say you are.” She pauses. “But I do have to ask why you decided to show up here? You told Tony if you had anywhere else to go, you would’ve, so I understand.”

“It’s the first place I could think of,” you admit quietly. “I’ve been living on the streets for a few weeks now.”

Pepper pales. “You’ve been homeless?”

You nod. “Mom died in a house fire. It was our house. I was on a walk to the gas station to get her favorite candy bar because she had been having a rough time.”

“And she…”

“By the time I came out of the gas station, fire trucks were blaring past and I could smell the smoke. The flames were high enough to see from a mile away.”

“I...I am so sorry.”

You shrug, surprised you’re not crying. “Everything I had was in there, except the clothes I was wearing when I got here. She had my cell phone because we could only afford the one, but it burned, too. Everything burned.

“Anyway, she… She always told me Tony was my dad and I didn’t believe her, but then she showed me pictures of them together, and it made me believe her. So I figured coming here would be better than staying on the streets or going to another shelter.”

Pepper nods. “Okay, well, I’m glad you came here. I am. But...Tony can’t do anything for you if he isn’t your real father.”

“I understand.”

“We can do a paternity test,” she offers. “If you want to, I’ll get him to agree. It wouldn’t be the first one he’s had to do, but this one…this one would probably be the first I think he’d do willingly.”

You furrow your eyebrows. “Really?”

She nods. “The others have been infants and the mothers have mostly been after money. The paternity tests were used in court.”

Your eyes widen. “I do not want to go to court.”

“You won’t,” she says. “The test could be done here and kept between the three of us. But, until then, it is up to Tony what he wants to do — whether or not he wants to let you stay. I’m not saying I will allow him to kick you out, but if he doesn’t want you to stay here, I will do everything I can to make sure you are somewhere safe.” She pauses, watching your expression as it changes. “I’m sorry if this sounds so harsh. It’s a recycled speech I’ve had to give a thousand times,” she laughs airily. “But I do mean it when I say I will make sure you’re safe. I don’t care if it comes out of my paycheck.”

“No, you don’t need to do that,” you start shaking your head, but she stops you.

“You are special, I can tell,” Pepper says. “And Wanda seems to like you, which is telling. In the time that she’s been here, it hasn’t been easy to get her to open up to others.”

You felt comfortable around Wanda, too. The same kind of comfortable you feel with Pepper right now.

Before anything else can be said, footsteps are heard and the smell of pizza fills your nostrils.

“Did you order me pizza? You’re too kind, Ms. Potts,” Tony’s voice floats from the hallway before he enters the living room, pizza box in hand.

“Actually, it’s for Y/N,” Pepper says.

“It’s fine,” you wave them off, but neither of them let it slide.

“Nope,” Tony says, placing the box down on the table in front of the couch. “I’ll get plates. You’re eating.”

“But if you—”

“Ah-ah,” he holds up his index finger, raising his eyebrows. “No arguing.”

“Seriously?” You deadpan, rolling your eyes.

You open the box and pull out a slice while he’s busy wasting time getting plates. When he returns, he hands you a plate, even though you won’t use it. He plops down next to Pepper and grabs a slice, shoving half of it in his mouth.

“Want some?” He gestures the half-eaten slice toward Pepper.

She shakes her head. “No, it’s your favorite, not mine.”

Your chewing slows. “It’s your favorite?”

“Yeah,” Tony replies, eating the other half of his slice.

“It’s my favorite, too,” you reply slowly, reaching for a second piece.

Tony smiles, grabbing a second slice, too. “You’ve got good taste, kid.” He takes less of a big bite this time. “So, what’s the consensus? How much money do you want?”

“Tony—” Pepper starts, but he doesn’t let her finish.

“Or, let me guess, paternity test. And money. College? I can give you a scholarship.”

With every word that falls from his lips, you get more and more angry.

“Or are we just waiting for the police to pick you up? I have to admit, that’s boring, but if that’s what we’re doing—”

“That is enough,” Pepper hisses.

“Um,” you swallow the bite of pizza that you had in your mouth. “Thanks for the pizza and...dry clothes and the talk, but I’m gonna go.”

“Y/N--” Pepper tries.

“No, it’s fine,” you shake your head as you stand. “It’s okay, it was a bad idea anyway. Don’t worry about the test, I mean, I’m an adult anyway, it’s not like it would make any difference.”

“She has a point,” Tony adds.

You ignore him. “I’ll just...yeah.”

The two of them are still bickering when you run off, toward the elevator. The doors open quickly and you let the elevator swallow you whole.

You were stupid, so stupid for coming here. You would’ve been better off on another park bench or something.

When the elevator reaches the lobby, you’re running out as fast as your feet will carry you.

+++

You’re thankful for Wanda’s hoodie when the cold wind of New York starts biting into your skin. It’s a miracle to find an open park bench, and it’d be a miracle if it could be a few degrees warmer outside, but you know that’s asking for way too much.

Still, you try to relax and rest. You have no clue where to go from here. Maybe back to a shelter, but the idea of that makes your body shiver for a different reason other than the cold.

You zip the hoodie up to your chin and wrap your arms around yourself, keeping the heat in as much as you can. Eventually, because of the exhaustion, you find yourself drifting off.

When you wake, it’s with a jolt because the empty seat next to you on the bench is now filled.

“What do you want?” After realizing the person is none other than Tony Stark, you can’t be bothered to be polite.

“For you to come back to the Tower before it starts raining.”

You sit up straighter, shaking your head. “No thanks. Did Pepper put you up to this?”

“Actually, I put myself up to this,” he replies. “I was a jackass. I’m sorry.”

“Thanks.”

“I mean it, kid.”

“Maybe stop calling me ‘kid.’”

“I will when you quit acting like one.”

You lift your head to glare at him. “That’s a low blow. Even for you.”

“I just want you to come back to the Tower with me,” Tony says. “I’m sorry. It was a low blow, and so was everything else I said earlier. But I refuse to let you sleep here when there’s a perfectly fine and vacant room at the Tower. Right next to Wanda’s room.”

You mull it over for a second. The mention of Wanda is enticing because despite today’s circumstances, she did seem kind and harmless. The two of you seemed like you could get along well, too, which is rare for you — and her, apparently.

“Fine,” you cave. “But only because this bench is uncomfortable as hell.”

Tony sighs, but doesn’t comment on that. Instead, he stands, gesturing for you to follow, and you do. “Okay, come on. I parked over here.”

“Parked?”

“Yeah, ki— You walked a good thirty minute drive from the Tower.”

“Oh.”

“It’s fine,” he says. “But it is about to rain, so.”

He clicks something and what was once a black smudge in your vision suddenly lit up as the car’s engine roared to life, turning the headlights on, too.

You can’t help but scoff.

“What?” Tony asks through a laugh. “It’s my car.”

“It’s so flashy.”

He accepts it. “Fair point.”

You have no clue what make or model the car is, but regardless it’s too sleek and too low to the ground. Thank God you aren’t driving.

You hop in the passenger seat, unashamed that you want to get out of the wind. Tony silently turns the seat warmers on when he gets in.

After driving for a few minutes, Tony breaks the silence.

“I need to call Pepper to let her know I found you,” he says, and without another word, the car begins calling Pepper. Well, FRIDAY does, because she’s in his cars, too.

Pepper picks up almost immediately. “Please tell me you found her.”

“I did, Pep.”

“Thank God,” she says, exhaling deeply. “Is she in the car? Y/N?”

“I’m here,” you speak up.

“Good,” she replies. “I was scared he made you angrier instead of apologizing.”

You’re still angry with him, but you don’t say that. “He apologized.”

“Good,” Pepper says. “Drive safe, Tony, please.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll only go ten above the speed limit.”

“Tony—”

“Call disconnected.”

“Oops,” Tony says. “Do you want a milkshake? Late night snack?”

“I’m good.”

“Suit yourself,” he shrugs, speeding up.

+++

You got a milkshake.

Not because you really wanted one, but because Tony ordered you one anyway. He guessed your favorite — it’s the same as his, but still — and didn’t let you argue. And you’re not one to let something go to waste if it’s right in front of you.

Pepper and Wanda look more than relieved when you enter the Tower beside Tony, milkshake still in hand.

“I have returned with the… With Y/N.”

You roll your eyes.

“Thank you,” Pepper says, but she still gives Tony a glare. When she looks back at you, her expression is soft. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” you murmur. “I won’t stay for long, I promise.”

Pepper shook her head. “You can stay for as long as you need to. There’s no sense in you sleeping anywhere else when there’s a room here you can have.”

“I could use the company,” Wanda adds, smiling gently. “If you want.”

You smile in return, but you’re still wary. You look at Tony to see what he thinks, but to your complete surprise, he doesn’t look angry or anything.

“As long as you don’t ask for an entire floor, you can stay,” he says.

That’s about as good a response you’re going to get out of him, it seems, so you accept it.

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